Dakar 2026: Less than two weeks remain until the start.

      Less than two weeks remain until the start of the Dakar rally-raid, and in January 2026 interest in the legendary supermarathon will, as always, be very high — that is beyond doubt.

      Among other reasons, Carlos Sainz Sr., the father of the Williams driver and a four-time Dakar winner, will take part in the event for the last time in his illustrious career — as he did last year, together with his long-time co-driver Lucas Cruz he will line up at the start in a race-prepared Ford Raptor off‑road vehicle.

      The rally-raid is being held in Saudi Arabia for the seventh time, and its main events will begin on January 3 with the ceremonial start and the prologue. The race will finish on January 17 in the same coastal city of Yanbu where it begins.

      Competitors will have to cover a total of 7,999 km, of which 4,845 km are timed special stages, and the organizers have already promised that this year's route will be unprecedentedly tough. It runs along the Red Sea coast, crosses the desert and climbs onto rocky highlands.

      In particular, the prologue, the first two special stages and the final, 13th stage will take place over terrain characterised by stony plateaus, rocky sections and relatively easy sands.

      Then the crews will face tougher tests as the route moves into the desert and the almost inevitable navigation problems begin, and much will depend on the crews' experience — above all the navigators — on choosing the right tactics and, of course, on the reliability and durability of the machinery.

      On January 9, the sixth day of the rally-raid, participants face a truly marathon, the longest stage — its total length is 920 km, of which 330 km are special stages. The stage starts in the vicinity of Ha'il and finishes in Riyadh, the country's capital.

      All day cars and motorcycles will have to cross dune-covered desert, and this rather monotonous landscape will be another factor affecting the crews' psychological state. Physical demands will, of course, also approach the limit, since speeds on such sections are very high. In short, not everyone will hold out, and this applies equally to both people and machines.

      In Riyadh Dakar participants will have a rest day, after which the competition will continue, and this will be another ordeal through desert and dunes. Closer to the finish the landscapes will become more varied, but navigation difficulties will also increase.

      A total of 812 representatives from 69 countries intend to take part in the 2026 rally-raid — there are Russian drivers among them, but due to circumstances Denis Krotov and his co-driver Konstantin Zhiltsov have to compete under the flag of Kyrgyzstan.

      This year their crew will run a new Ford Raptor with a 5.0-litre 355-hp V8 engine, prepared by the well-known M-Sport Rally Raid Team, so Russian fans of this motorsport, of which there are many, will have someone to cheer for.

      Last week two ships delivered all the equipment (that is, 433 motorcycles and off‑road vehicles of various classes) and all necessary gear from the port of Barcelona to Yanbu; in the first days of the New Year a pre-start technical inspection will take place, and beginning on January 3, as is traditional, F1News.ru will cover the main events of the rally-raid.