PARIS, Oct 21 (Reuters) - The Dakar Rally will return to Africa for its 49th edition due to the situation in the Middle East and in particular in Saudi Arabia, where the race has been held since 2020, three people involved in the World Rally-Raid Championship told Reuters.
According to the sources – two drivers and a team manager – the race will start in Europe with a prologue either in Spain or Portugal, before heading to Morocco for the remainder of the event, which is expected to feature around 12 stages
The Dakar Rally is scheduled to run from January 9 to 22.
Race organisers Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the International Automobile Federation and International Motorcycling Federation did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
The Middle East situation has forced organisers to adapt their plan amid escalating hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement, which has stepped up attacks on Saudi cities, airports and energy infrastructure.
ASO unveiled the original route in May, with the start and finish in King Abdullah Economic City, but had recently been working on an alternative route in the north of the kingdom, two drivers and a team member told Reuters this month.
However, the situation has deteriorated further, with a strike on Riyadh's international airport on October 10 killing at least 12 people and wounding more than 300.
The Dakar Rally was initially scheduled to run from January 1 to January 15, with a record 5,320 km (3,306 miles) of timed stages planned for the 2027 edition, the race's eighth in Saudi Arabia.
The event started in 1978 as a race from Paris and across the Sahara to the Senegalese capital in West Africa and has long been regarded as the world's toughestmotorsport challenge.
It was later staged in South America between 2009 and 2019, after leaving Africa for security reasons.
(Reporting by Vincent Daheron; Editing by Ken Ferriskenneth.ferris@thomsonreut)
