Key changes for the first three stages of the 2026 Dakar: “It might get a little tougher now”

Dakar Rally Director David Castella said: The round table at the bivouac included the MD, who attended the Spanish press who were at the bivouac. Yanbu2 days before start The 48th edition of the world’s toughest testwill be held from January 3rd to 17th.

The Frenchman already promised a few weeks ago that the level of hardness will be similar to last year, i.e. high, and that it will remain so for two weeks on the route where everyone will be tested. But to this we have to add changes to the conditions and terrain of the first three stages due to the rain that has fallen over the last few days. David revealed that this has forced him to change some last minute instructions in the roadbook for these stages.

Rain naturally erases footprints, making navigation difficult. And there could be even more scary stones to expect in stages 1 and 2. The falling water moved the sand and brought the stones underneath it to the surface. If stones were promised, now there will be more. However, David believes that stones should not decide this year’s winner (as happened in the first year of Arabia) and also reminded that there will be a pit stop area (stages 1, 2 and 11 will have pit stop areas where cars can change their tires with the team and also change the spare tire).

“The first three stages changed a lot because we had a lot of rain before we arrived. The truth is, there’s more stone than sand now. When it rains, the sand disappears, so that’s why the stages have changed a bit. Now the terrain is more broken than at the beginning.” Three dangers are far more common than two. We’re going to have stones and that’s part of the rally. But if you go to Morocco, there are stones, and no one will say that there are more of them than here. I took that into consideration and did it in the best possible way so that no stone decides the winner. Therefore, the pit stop area is divided into three stages (1, 2, 11) and you can use it without any problems. Should I stop to change a wheel or not? That would be another touch in the strategy to manage.”he expressed.

“It can be a little difficult, yes, I think so. And also in navigation, because the rain erases all the tracks. So we try to put more directions in the roadbook. It will complicate the level of navigation a little bit for the first one.” he added.

“There are stones, but nothing more compared to other years. That’s my feeling. Sometimes we make mistakes and we’ll see, but I’m not really concerned about just the stone issue. I think there are other things that are bigger issues for the competitors,” he previously said.

Who will win by car?

“I think this year is the most difficult year to make predictions, especially for cars. Also, with everything that has happened with SSV and Challenger (categories that were introduced in recent years and gave young people the opportunity to start and learn about racing), there has been a huge evolution in young drivers who are now ready to compete in Ultimate (the highest category) after five or six years. This is a new thing because they lost a lot of time because they weren’t ready before they arrived, the lack of practice and the lack of experience, they have a category that is helping them a lot in this sense and I think there are 10 teams that can win today and at least 10 teams that can win with cars.

He thinks Loeb can win.

“I believe the young guys can beat Loeb, Sainz and Nasser. I’m sure of that. Last year Lategan came close to winning and Al Rajhi won. I do think Loeb will almost certainly win today, that’s my prediction.. But other than that, I’m sure there will be many different stage winners like last year. ”

What would you like to see happen this Dakar?

“All I want is for everyone to be happy and nothing more. A Dakar with no accidents and everyone happy with the experience. That’s what I’m here for. Thierry Sabine always wanted to give dreams to those who watched the race on TV. That’s my mission and now I’m on social networks and everything. It’s true that dreams are important in today’s world. Being there for 15 days in Dakar is a parenthesis from everyday life, and we forget what happens in life, but for everyone it’s a little bit of oxygen and we can all take a break from the constant pressure. When you open the TV, there is a lot of bad news. etc. Here we live with passion, among ourselves, just like you, like all people at every level, and that’s what I love about my job, that it offers the possibility of something good.