Inspiration Friday: World’s Richest Rally

Inspiration Friday: World's Richest Rally

Inspiration Friday: World's Richest Rally

Tesla’s Elon Musk and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos may be the richest men in the world, but they can’t shine a candle to the world’s richest rally; The Dakar Rally. Rich in history, culture, competition and challenges the 14 day 43rd Dakar Rally is being held in Saudi Arabia from January 3rd to the 15th.

There are not enough superlatives to describe the breathtaking landscapes. The course pushes the competitors to the limit from sandy tracks, stony sections, dunes, unadulterated desert, blasting through stony plateaus, Red Sea seafronts and long, hard stages, where competitors who fail to control their nerves are in for a bad day, some may even get to know the desert after dark! Plus a fearsome sequence of sand mountains and 100 km of up-and -down racing almost without interruption.

Total Motorcycle 2021 first Inspiration Friday: World’s Richest Rally is a real game changer for those interested in inspiring to push themselves and their bikes to the limit!

Each day TMW posts the last news on the Dakar Rally and all motorcycle events, stories and the latest news. Thank you for visiting Total Motorcycle and for supporting us!

Inspiration Friday: World's Richest Rally

Inspiration Friday: World’s Richest Rally – 2021 Dakar Rally

 

STAGE DATE START AND FINISH BIKE/QUAD AUTO/LIGHTWEIGHT VEHICLE TRUCK
Total | Special Total | Special Total | Special
P Saturday, january 2, 2021 Jeddah > Jeddah 129 km | 11 km 129 km | 11 km 129 km | 11 km PROLOGUE
1 Sunday, january 3, 2021 Jeddah > Bisha 623 km | 277 km 623 km | 277 km 623 km | 277 km STAGE1
2 Monday, january 4, 2021 Bisha > Wadi Ad-Dawasir 685 km | 457 km 685 km | 457 km 685 km | 457 km STAGE2
3 Tuesday, january 5, 2021 Wadi Ad-Dawasir > Wadi Ad-Dawasir 629 km | 403 km 629 km | 403 km 629 km | 403 km STAGE3
4 Wednesday, january 6, 2021 Wadi Ad-Dawasir > Riyadh 813 km | 337 km 813 km | 337 km 813 km | 337 km STAGE4
5 Thursday, january 7, 2021 Riyadh > Al Qaisumah 662 km | 456 km 662 km | 456 km 662 km | 456 km STAGE5
6 Friday, january 8, 2021 Al Qaisumah > Ha’il 618 km | 448 km 618 km | 448 km 618 km | 448 km STAGE6
Saturday, january 9, 2021 Ha’il REST
7 Sunday, january 10, 2021 Ha’il > Sakaka 737 km | 471 km 737 km | 471 km 737 km | 471 km STAGE7
8 Monday, january 11, 2021 Sakaka > Neom 709 km | 375 km 709 km | 375 km 709 km | 375 km STAGE8
9 Tuesday, january 12, 2021 Neom > Neom 579 km | 465 km 579 km | 465 km 579 km | 465 km STAGE9
10 Wednesday, january 13, 2021 Neom > AlUla 583 km | 342 km 583 km | 342 km 583 km | 342 km STAGE10
11 Thursday, january 14, 2021 AlUla > Yanbu 557 km | 511 km 557 km | 511 km 557 km | 511 km STAGE11
12 Friday, january 15, 2021 Yanbu > Jeddah 452 km | 225 km 452 km | 225 km 452 km | 225 km STAGE 12

Inspiration Friday: World's Richest Rally

Inspiration Friday: World’s Richest Rally Stages –

2/01 – Prologue Jeddah > Jeddah – 11 km

This appetiser will give participants the chance to ease into a competitive mindset. The race will take the competitors about 30 kilometres away from King Abdullah Stadium and feature a handful of sandy tracks where the temptation to just slide around the course will be hard to resist. Most importantly, the classification will establish a safe starting order for the next stage, with everyone right where they belong.

3/01 – Start – Jeddah > Bisha, 622 km – SS : 277 km

The opening special will be held entirely on tracks. The main challenge lies in stringing up one valley after another while avoiding the navigational hazards posed by the numerous intersections. Competitors will have to be on the lookout in the stony sections if they want to avoid flat tyres.

4/01 – Bisha > Wadi Ad-Dawasir, 685 km – SS : 457 km

Here come the first dunes, which will appear in a section stretching for about 30 kilometres in the first third of the stage. Yellow dominates the kaleidoscope here, but the white dunes will provide a touch of contrast. A lengthy off-track section —the desert’s answer to “open space”— comes right before the final sequence of sandy tracks.

Inspiration Friday: World's Richest Rally

5/01 – Wadi Ad-Dawasir > Wadi Ad-Dawasir, 630 km – SS : 403 km

The gateway to the Empty Quarter provides the backdrop to this stage —pure, unadulterated desert. Competitors will get a hefty serving of dunes, albeit spread far and wide and in small chains. The special intersperses technical sections with faster parts. This high-stakes loop will give the fastest competitors their first opportunity to make a real difference.

6/01 – Wadi Ad-Dawasir > Riyadh, 813 km – SS : 337 km

If the link sector is included, this is the longest stage of the race, but the sporting part is unlikely to push the competitors to the limit. On the contrary, the focus will be on having fun at the wheel, even though the winding tracks will give participants no respite. However, it is worth keeping in mind that mistakes carry a hefty price tag even on transition stages like this one.

7/01 – Riyadh > Al Qaisumah, 662 km – SS : 456 km

Patience is a virtue in rally raids, as will be seen on this long, hard stage, where competitors who fail to control their nerves are in for a bad day. Several elements will bring down the average speed, including a tough dunes sector near the middle of the special and the numerous stones that litter some tracks. Haste makes waste —or, in this case, a flat tyre.

8/01 – Al Qaisumah > Ha’il, 618 km – SS : 448 km

The road to Ha’il will be 100% smooth and sandy. The course of this stage features dunes in all shapes and colours, testing the competitors’ ability to tackle them forwards and backwards! Bikers will face their greatest challenge here and even the toughest riders will end up with their arms like jelly. Some may even get to know the desert after dark… and have to settle for a very short rest day.

 

Inspiration Friday: World's Richest Rally

9/01 – Ha’il Rest day

For many, the rest day is an important intermediate goal. Whatever happens, it will be time for everyone to take stock of their strategy and use the time wisely to recover in a balanced way, It will be shorter for latecomers, who will certainly have a lot of work to do on their vehicles. The rest will be divided between the maintenance necessary to get back to the dunes and rest in the truest sense of the word. All this while remaining focused on the competition!

10/01 – Ha’il > Sakaka, 737 km SS : 471 km (marathon stage)

The marathon stage gets under way with a fearsome sequence of sand mountains and 100 km of up-and -down racing almost without interruption. Competitors will need to go gentle on their vehicles from the get-go to stop their engines from overheating. The first part comes to an end with a series of stony plateaus and a mix of winding and fast sections. The area set up for participants to work on their vehicles will be off-limits to everyone else.

11/01 – Sakaka > Neom, 709 km – SS : 375 km

The second part of the marathon stage tends to reward those who have been cautious in the first one. On top of the satisfaction of blasting through the sandy and then stony tracks of this special, competitors will get to enjoy the most majestic landscapes in the country… while keeping a close eye on the roadbook. If there is a time to whip out the camera, this is it.

12/01 – Neom > Neom, 579 km – SS : 465 km

The special will get going on the shore of the Red Sea and start with a ramble along the seafront. It will not be all smooth sailing, however, as the course takes the field to tracks that are sometimes fast but often too sandy to push the pedal to the metal. This stage’s length and variety place it among the toughest of these two weeks of racing.

 

Inspiration Friday: World's Richest Rally

13/01 – Neom > AlUla, 583 km – SS : 342 km

There are not enough superlatives to describe the landscapes in the first part of this stage. The hilly areas that make up most of the rest of the course are just as breathtaking. However, the sandy tracks will provide an opening for navigation savvy participants to blast their way through the valleys.

14/01 – AlUla > Yanbu, 557 km – SS : 511 km

The longest special in the rally will set the scene for the decisive showdown among the remaining contenders. Dunes are back after several days to separate the best from the rest in an ocean of sand stretching for almost 100 kilometres where time differences can be huge.

15/01 – Yanbu > Jeddah, 452 km – SS : 225 km

The last stage of the Dakar is not necessarily the easiest. The riders, drivers and co-drivers will still have to deal with the threat of chains of dunes, where getting stuck can easily spell the difference between a sweet ending and a bitter one. However, “celebration” will be the buzzword here, as the finish line on the shore of the Red Sea brings back memories of Lac Rose for some finishers.

15/01 – Jeddah Finish and finish podium

 

Inspiration Friday: World's Richest Rally

Each week Total Motorcycle brings you a new Inspiration Friday, if you enjoyed reading this week’s Inspiration Friday: World’s Richest Rally, please consider signing up for our Patron Account, it’s just $1 a month.

About Michael Le Pard 10160 Articles
"Mr. Totalmotorcycle". Owner and Founder of Total Motorcycle, the World’s Largest Motorcycle Site with over 425 million readers since 1999. Total Motorcycle is my pride and joy and being able to reach 425 million people has been incredible and I could not have done it without the support of my visitors, readers and members...thank you so much! We are all making a difference to millions of riders worldwide.