At a virtual news conference on Tuesday evening, the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) and the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) revealed facts about Dakar 2022.

The 44th version of the world's most famous cross-country rally will take place from January 2 to 14, 2022, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia organizing the full event for the third year in a row.

Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, chairperson of the SAMF's board of directors, and David Castera, director of the Dakar, attended the meeting.

Dakar 2022 will begin in the north-central Saudi city of Hail and follow a more southerly and sandy course than the previous two years, with the rest day relocating to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and the finish event held in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah.

The road will travel southeast from Hail and into the huge Empty Quarter of the Kingdom, which's bigger than the whole country of France. Sand dunes would be common, and average speeds on more challenging special stages will be slower.

Castera revealed that at least three unique stages will be held entirely in the dunes, with the emphasis squarely on navigation and less chance of punctures than on the rockier stages of the north.

For participants in the car, SSV, and truck categories, an electronic roadbook will be utilized, and a version will also be available for top riders in the motorcycle and quad portions.

Castera discussed the triumphs of the first two years of the Dakar Rally in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with crucial data from the January event.

He also mentioned the first Dakar Classic's accomplishments and emphasized comments from racers on the 2021 event.

He discussed the effort being done to enhance safety and security, and also speed limits, airbag technology, and helmet safety.

“Today, we are on the brink of organizing the event for the third year in a row,” Prince Khalid added.

“We are grateful for our past accomplishments, but our attention is now squarely on the coming years.”

“We will draw on the enormous expertise we have accumulated over the previous two years to organize another unrivaled version of the Dakar Rally that we are convinced will meet the expectations of global motorsport fans and Dakar Rally followers.”

The 2022 version would also mark the beginning of an ambitious initiative aimed at making a field of automobiles driven exclusively by alternative energy sources the standard by 2030.

The changeover will begin with the creation of a T1-E category for prototypes with low greenhouse gas emissions. Automobile manufacturers are building automobiles for the future, and Audi intends to join the category in 2022.

The Dakar Classic would be conducted by rally officials for the second year in a row. Regulations for a discipline that captivated worldwide television audiences in January 2021 have been revised.

Regularity wouldn't be the only requirement for assessment; accurate navigation for at least one-fifth of the route would also be evaluated.

More information about the route will be released in November. The Dakar caravan is set to leave the southern French port of Marseille in the second week of December, reaching plenty of time for the New Year's Eve celebrations.

Registration for the event begins on Monday, May 17.