Dakar is back! With this year’s Dakar kicking off January 5-17th, it takes racers to new terrain, one very different from years past. After 11 editions in South America, the race switches to Saudi Arabia with 12 stages over 7,500km including three super-tough stages that are longer than 750km and 75 percent of the rally taking place on sand.

Giniel De Villiers (ZAF) of Toyota Gazoo Racing SA tests prior Rally Dakar 2020 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The 2020 Dakar is taking place on the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia is colossal, four times the size of France, a place where all types of desert terrains coexist. In the dunes, but also traveling across more mountainous regions and sometimes on tracks, drivers will recognize familiar terrain in entirely new surroundings.

The available land in Saudi Arabia offers the opportunity to take competitors on a real tour of Saudi Arabia, with each stage having its own specific landscape and difficulties. A wide range of landscapes will be seen during the rally, including canyons, dunes, mountains, wadis, and more.

This year’s race features more American competitors than ever before, and many of them are taking on the rally in the SSV class that features modified UTVs. Americans have not had great success in the rally before, but this year the odds are more in our favor.

Stay tuned for updates from each stage and see how the Americans hold up in the harsh Saudi Arabia terrain. Check out the schedule of the stages below!

2020 Dakar Rally route in Saudi Arabia

Stage 1 – Jeddah > Al Wajh – January 5: The 2020 Dakar starts off in Jeddah, covering a total of 752km, with the competitors finishing the day in Al Wajh. Special stages, from which overall classifications are created, make up 319km of the opening day’s racing.

Stage 2 – Al Wajh > Neom – January 6: The racing continues on from Al Wajh to Neom, with competitors enjoying a shorter day at 401km overall. Those expecting the racing to be any less furious will be in for a shock, however, as special stages account for a full 367km of the route.

Stage 3 – Neom > Neom – January 7: Stage three will see competitors start and finish the day in Neom, but they’ll still be covering a challenging 489km overall, with 404km marked as special.

Stage 4 – Neom > Al-`Ula – January 8: Leaving Neom, the race heads to Al-`Ula, some 676km away. It’s another challenging day when it comes to the overall classification, with a huge 453km marked as special.

Stage 5 – Al-`Ula > Ha’il – January 9: Stage five sees competitors race between Al-`Ula and Ha’il, covering a total distance of 563km. 353km of that is special, giving racers a slightly easier – or at least shorter – day when it comes to overall timings.

Stage 6 – Ha’il > Riyadh – January 10: The race then continues to Riyadh in one of the longest stages of the 2020 Dakar, with over 478km marked as special and a huge 830km traveled in total.

Rest day – Riyadh – January 11: After such a monster stage, competitors and teams alike will be glad of the rest day, with the rally staying in Riyadh for some much-needed repair and recovery.

Stage 7 – Riyadh > Wadi Al Dawasir – January 12: Stage 7 sees the teams back on the road again, this time heading from Riyadh to Wadi Al Dawasir. It’s 741km in total, with a tough 546km of special stages.

Stage 8 – Wadi Al Dawasir > Wadi Al Dawasir – January 13: Competitors will spend all of the eighth stage in Wadi Al Dawasir, although they’ll be competing for time across 474km of special stages and traveling a tough 713km in total.

Stage 9 – Wadi Al Dawasir > Haradh – January 14: We’re well past the halfway point and heading into the closing stages come January 14, where drivers and riders will be heading from Wadi Al Dawasir to Haradh. It’s the longest stage of the race, at 891km, with competitors battling for time over 415km.

Stage 10 – Haradh > Shubaytah – January 15: Things don’t get any easier the next day, with a route from Haradh to Shubaytah that includes 534km of special stages and 608km in total.

Stage 11 – Shubaytah > Haradh – January 16: The penultimate day’s action also includes the final super-long stage, at 744km, from Shubaytah to Haradh. Competitors will battle for time over 379km of special stages.

Stage 12 – Haradh > Qiddiya – January 17: From Haradh, the rally heads into the home straight, with a relatively modest 447km, and 374km of special stages, to the finish in Qiddiya.

Stay tuned for updates over the next few weeks to see how the Americans and the rest of the Dakar field are doing in the rally. How do you think the Americans will do in this year’s race? Tell us in the comments below!