Riyadh (DPA)
Tomorrow, Saturday, all eyes will turn to the city of Hail, which will witness the opening ceremony of the third consecutive edition of the Saudi Dakar Rally 2022, whose competition will officially start on Sunday.
Preparations for the biggest event in the world of motorsports have reached full readiness, starting with the opening ceremony, passing through the race that will start in the Hail desert on Sunday, and ending with the finish line in Jeddah on January 14, with a day of rest in the capital Riyadh (January 8).
This edition of the Dakar Rally is the “largest in history” in terms of the number of competitors, with more than 650 athletes representing 70 nationalities from around the world participating. The race also includes 430 vehicles in various categories, and 148 other vehicles in the “Dakar Classic” category. The rally track this year also includes one preliminary stage and 12 regular stages, during which competitors will run 5 circular stages and one marathon.
The prestigious rally, in its 44th edition, will test the capabilities and capabilities of the participants in the endurance, in a total distance of 8,375 km, including 4,258 km of special stages subject to timing.
It is noteworthy that the 2022 edition of the Dakar Rally will be the start of a new initiative known as the “Dakar Future” plan, which aims to have a field consisting entirely of low-emissions vehicles by 2030, as the “Amore Sport” organization, which organizes the rally with the International Automobile Federation, seeks To encourage manufacturers to develop alternative fuel cars and adopt the new T1 Ultimate class, which will see four cars in this category participate in this year’s rally for the first time.
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