A Dakar which is temporarily moving away from Saudi Arabia, its playground since 2020. The organizer of the most famous rally-raid in the world formalized, Friday October 30, a route from Portugal to Morocco for its 2027 edition. The director of the event, David Castera, took stock of the behind the scenes of this relocation imposed by the "recent events in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" (the intensification of attacks by Houthi fighters from Yemen supported by Iran), and the challenges posed by this route traced in an express time, composed of a prologue and 12 stages between Faro and the south of Morocco.
franceinfo: sport: When did the decision to go to Morocco and Portugal take place?
David Castera: She's not very old. Recent events in Saudi Arabia have obviously precipitated the idea that we might not be able to go there. So, I started working straight away. There is a big advantage, which is that I know Morocco extremely well, since I had the chance, for eight years, to be at the head of the Morocco rally. So I believe that this is also what will make it work, because knowing Morocco immediately allows me to make valid journeys. Our intention was really to be able to deliver this Dakar. And it was important for the competitors too. So we wanted to be there. This will not be a cheap Dakar. That's super important. It's not because we're going to do it in two months that it will be cheap.
Was there a plan B just in case, or was the decision made in recent weeks?
No, we didn't have a plan B. We really wanted to go to Saudi Arabia. Until the beginning of September, there was no doubt, it was still totally doable. And then it accelerated, it was at the beginning of September that there was a deterioration. But until then, we had no plan B. Our only desire was to go to Saudi Arabia. We have extraordinary interest and we wanted to continue going there.
Why this choice of Portugal and Morocco for the route?
I thought it was good that the Dakar returned a little to its origins, that is to say leaving Europe and heading towards the African continent. We didn't want it to be a big Morocco rally either, since the Morocco rally still exists. And we wanted it to have a slightly more international dimension. So there you have it, that's also why we're starting from Portugal, rather than Spain, because we've already had a strong partner in Portugal for several years, it's the ACP (Automovel Club de Portugal), the organizer of the WRC rally, of all the rounds of the world championship that we've been doing for three years there.
Concerning Morocco, I know, I know what they can do. And then because I know that Moroccans are responsive people, who will provide their support. They are very happy and they let us know all the discussions we have had over the past week with them, about hosting this Dakar. And above all, they will bring all their know-how to bear on this.
In terms of participants, do you think this edition will succeed in bringing together as many people as in recent years?
It will be a little more difficult because there was uncertainty around whether or not this Dakar would take place. We will have a little less people, that's for sure. We have opened registrations, as usual, since May. But we could see that some people were wondering whether or not the race would be able to go to Saudi Arabia.
On motorbikes, we are full, the bikers have never stopped. By car, budgets are not the same, so it's a little more complicated. Where we will have the most losses is surely in the car category. In a truck, it should move very little. Now that the final announcement is made, we wait for the next ten days, we will have the approximate figures of the cars. But now, we will have around forty fewer cars than we usually had.
What challenge will this Dakar represent for the competitors?
For the competitors, it's a real Dakar. There are stages at 500 kilometers, there are stages between 350 and 450. We can't do much either. You have to be a little less greedy than in Saudi Arabia. The terrain is a little more brittle. So, I reduced the mileage a little (7,824 km compared to 8,000 in 2026), but I have three special stages around 500 kilometers. There will be big, big pieces. We kept the principle of the marathon-refuge stage. They will sleep in the middle of the desert with rations, by the sea. We kept the pit stops. We have kept everything that makes up the history of the Dakar and its difficulty. All the ingredients are there.
