Every week after clinching the World Rally-Raid Championship within the Challenger class, Rokas Baciuška returned to Lithuania with a shocking hearsay he overheard in regards to the 2025 Dakar Rally:
“It’s attention-grabbing to see what’s going to occur as a result of I’ve heard that it may not happen because of the conflict, however these are simply rumours. I imagine the organisers will do every part to make it occur.”
Baciuška’s remark, which got here after touchdown at Vilnius Airport on Tuesday, shortly despatched the Lithuanian rally raid neighborhood right into a frenzy. Delfi, a Baltic information outlet, started working on approaching his fellow compatriots for his or her remarks. Typically, these they requested had been greatly surprised however sceptical.
“That is the primary time I’ve heard such a hearsay, and I haven’t come throughout something prefer it,” mentioned Vaidotas Žala, who plans to enter the 2025 race in a truck. “There are most likely such rumours yearly, however I’ve no data on this. Our plans stay unchanged until we obtain some official data. Since I haven’t heard something, both on the hearsay stage or formally, I’ve no motive to contemplate such a state of affairs.”
The Dakar Rally at the moment takes place in Saudi Arabia, which is a comparatively secure nation and unlikely to devolve into wars or be marred by safety considerations, the latter of which was the principle motive why the race not follows the unique route by Africa. Nonetheless, preventing within the Center East has continued to boil over since October 2023 with the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which lately escalated to incorporate a theatre in Lebanon. The Jordan Baja, a part of the FIA World and Center East Baja Cups, was cancelled in 2023 because of Jordan’s proximity to Israel and Palestine; the 2024 race is at the moment scheduled to proceed as normal on 28–30 November.
Elsewhere within the area, Yemen is in a civil conflict the place the Saudis again the sitting authorities in opposition to the Houthi motion, who has disrupted worldwide delivery within the Purple Sea by attacking civilian vessels. This has had some ramifications on these touring to rallies within the area, comparable to Rodrigo Varela having to make use of a backup automotive on the 2024 Dakar after his authentic automobile acquired caught on a Saudi-bound ship that was focused whereas CFMOTO Thunder Racing Crew needed to skip the Abu Dhabi Desert Problem.
For the 2024 Dakar, the Amaury Sport Organisation banned nationwide flags from getting used on opponents’ autos. A proper motive was not given although many surmise it’s to guard the racers—which is tough sufficient for a race in a large desert—from being focused for his or her nationality. Such a rule didn’t exist for different rounds on the World Rally-Raid Championship, together with Abu Dhabi.
“In immediately’s world, I wouldn’t be shocked by many issues. However at this second, there’s no official data,” Benediktas Vanagas informed Delfi. 2025 might be his thirteenth Dakar. “Nonetheless, it’s clear that the Center East is below nice stress. Saudi Arabia looks like a comparatively secure place, however who is aware of what tomorrow will convey?
“Theoretically, may the Dakar be cancelled? Sure, it’s potential as a result of that a part of the world is heating up, and theoretically, something is feasible. A extra urgent query would be the World Baja Cup occasion in Jordan subsequent month. Final yr it didn’t occur as Jordan is close to Israel, Palestine, and different areas. However for now, it’s too early to debate Dakar.”
Dakar veteran Antanas Juknevičius instructed to Delfi that an assault on Saudi Arabia throughout the rally, whereas unlikely, isn’t inconceivable. In spite of everything, the Houthis had launched missiles throughout the 2021 Diriyah ePrix and struck a close-by Aramco station amidst observe for the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Earlier than the 2022 Dakar, competitor Philippe Boutron suffered extreme leg accidents when a service truck he was driving exploded in what French authorities surmised was an act of terrorism although a wrongdoer was not disclosed. Regardless of these incidents, Formulation One continues to race in Jeddah with out difficulty, Formulation E’s Saudi spherical continues to be on the calendar (albeit in Jeddah as effectively), and Boutron has since returned to motion.
To this finish, Juknevičius identified the Dakar Rally had gone by unstable international locations throughout its Paris–Dakar run, and it was solely moved to South America after a blatantly focused terrorist incident in Mauritania that killed 4 French vacationers.
“There have been many rumours within the historical past of Dakar, however they didn’t come true. It’s been mentioned many occasions that the Dakar would undoubtedly not occur, however they nonetheless went forward and made it occur,” he defined. “Nonetheless, there are some rumours who turned out to be true. I believe something is feasible, so you must watch the geopolitical scenario.
“The actual fact is that the Dakar may be very helpful for many individuals as an occasion, with its publicity, notoriety and international platform. And it might be the goal of these warring international locations within the Center East, just like the Houthis in Yemen, who are usually not that far-off from Saudi Arabia.”
Because it stands, the 2025 Dakar Rally is anticipated to happen as normal on 3–17 January.
