top of page
Dakar and Rally Raid — News and Reports
From the Dakar Classic bivouac to the W2RC calendar.
Race reports, insider stories and everything that moves the rally raid world.
This is the TimeOut Racing blog. We cover the rally raid scene from the inside — race reports, team stories, technical insights and news from the W2RC world championship calendar.
Our primary focus is the Dakar Rally and the Dakar Classic in all their facets. From the first registration deadlines to the final stage results, from vehicle preparation to bivouac life. But we also follow the broader rally raid calendar — the Africa Eco Race, the Desafío Ruta 40, the Rallye du Maroc and all the events that define this world.
We have been on the ground since 2022.
We know the teams, the bivouacs and the stories that never make the mainstream press.
Search
Dakar 2027: Back in Africa After 20 Years, But Not in Dakar
The Dakar Rally returns to Africa in January 2027 for the first time in 20 years, but it will not reach Dakar and it does not start in Paris. The rally starts in the Algarve in Portugal on 9 January, crosses to Morocco by ferry and finishes in Marrakech on 23 January. It is also a one time return: Saudi Arabia hosts the 50th edition in 2028. The route looks new, but much of it is not. We laid six editions on one map and compared the Dakar 2027 with the last African rally in 2
2 hours ago5 min read
Dakar 2027 Weather: Frost at Night, 30 °C by Day
The Dakar 2027 weather will be defined by cold nights, not by rain. Around Bouarfa and Zagora, January nights average about 2 °C according to climate normals and the nearest weather stations, with frost possible, while a heatwave in Agadir reached 30.6 °C in 2024. From 2022 to 2025 almost every camp stayed practically dry. January 2026 was the great exception, with very heavy rain in Agadir and snow in the Atlas. We built this study to prepare our own service crew for the new
4 days ago10 min read
Dakar 2027 Route: Portugal and Morocco, 9 to 23 January
Official Dakar 2027 route: prologue in the Algarve on 9 January, 12 stages through Morocco, finish in Marrakech on 23 January. All stages and key dates.
Oct 306 min read
Dakar 2027 Leaves Saudi Arabia: Europe, Africa and New Dates
Dakar 2027 leaves Saudi Arabia: prologue on 9 January, start camp expected in the Algarve, stages in Africa, finish on 22 January. What is confirmed and open.
Oct 195 min read
Where Could the Dakar Go After Saudi Arabia? Eight Possible Host Regions Compared
Dakar after Saudi Arabia: which countries could host the rally from 2030? Terrain, logistics, safety and what a host needs, seen by a Dakar Classic team.
Oct 1610 min read
Tobias Ebster and ZX Moto: A New Chapter Starts at the Dakar 2027
Tobias Ebster is back on the Dakar entry list. The Austrian rally raid rider has signed a factory contract with ZX Moto and plans to line up at the Dakar 2027 on the brand new ZXMOTO 450 Rally, run by Joyride Race Service as the official factory team. For the young Chinese manufacturer it is a debut. For Tobi, it is the next chapter in one of the most remarkable stories in modern rally raid. And for us at TimeOut Racing, it is personal. But first, the facts. From Privateer to
Aug 65 min read
The Adventure Most People Only Dream About: Your Seat in a Dakar Truck
Somewhere in northern Germany there is a rally truck called Siggi. Next January it will roll across the start line of the Dakar Classic 2027 with two friends in the cab who once knew nothing about rally raid at all. There is a third seat in that truck. Right now it is empty. SG Racing Nordheide are offering one person the chance at one of the biggest adventures motorsport has to give. Not a seat in a service van. Not a hospitality pass. A real seat in the racing truck, for th
Jul 196 min read
What Is the Super Regularity Test? The Toughest Navigation in the Dakar Classic
The Super Regularity Test is a Regularity Zone run with the TRIPY in manual mode: no track line, no sector countdown, only a direction arrow to the next roadbook note. It rewards real navigation instead of following a screen, and it is the most demanding navigation format in the Dakar Classic. It is not new. It already ran at the Dakar 2026, and it stays on the table for 2027. But it is still the section that catches crews out, and the one that is least understood. Here is wh
Jul 175 min read
What 778 Names Reveal About the 2026 Dakar – And Where the German-Speaking World Lines Up
There is one document in motorsport that is more honest than any press release: the entry list. No marketing, no promises – just names, nations, numbers. Whoever stands here has signed. Has paid. Has committed to two weeks of desert, sleep deprivation and uncertainty long before the first roadbook is ever opened. For the 2026 Dakar, that document holds 778 people in roughly 431 vehicles from 26 nations. We didn't skim it – we read every single line of the official ASO lists.
Jun 255 min read
Dakar Classic 2027 Regulations: Which Group Can You Race
You are entered for the Dakar Classic 2027 but not yet sure which category your vehicle can run. Here is how the new rules decide it. You have your entry for the Dakar Classic 2027, and now one question matters more than any other. Which average speed group can your vehicle actually race in. According to the ASO draft, the Dakar Classic 2027 Regulations answer that with a completely rebuilt period and group system. This guide walks you through it, and also covers the other bi
Jun 197 min read
Dakar 2027: Where Will the Dacia Drivers Land After the Sandrider Exit?
Last updated: 8 June 2026 Short answer first. With Dacia ending its Sandrider project after the 2026 season, four of the most prominent names in the desert are without a confirmed Ultimate cockpit for the Dakar 2027: Nasser Al-Attiyah, Sébastien Loeb, Lucas Moraes and Cristina Gutiérrez. As of June 2026 the realistic destinations have narrowed sharply. Ford is effectively full now that Carlos Sainz has renewed, which makes Toyota the prime landing spot. X-raid Mini and the sm
Jun 85 min read
Blunik & TimeOut Racing: Partnership Continues for the Dakar Classic 2027
Barcelona / Zurich, May 2026 — The collaboration between Blunik and TimeOut Racing continues: for the Dakar Classic 2027, TimeOut Racing will once again be Blunik's exclusive on-site partner in the bivouac. What started in 2026 is now being developed further based on the shared experience and customer feedback. The combination of Blunik's high-precision chrono-systems for regularity rallies with TimeOut Racing's bivouac service expertise proved itself at the Dakar Classic 202
May 142 min read
Dakar 2027 unveiled: Saudi-record route, major Classic rule overhaul
ASO presented the route for the 49th Dakar Rally in Paris this week. The 2027 edition runs from 1 to 15 January 2027 in Saudi Arabia, with start and finish in King Abdullah Economic City on the Red Sea — a new venue for the rally. The headline number: 5,320 kilometres of special sections, the longest competitive distance of any Saudi Arabian Dakar to date. The previous record was 4,903 km in 2025. Total route is 8,390 km across 13 stages plus a prologue, with a rest day in Bi
May 54 min read
How to Find Sponsors for the Dakar: A Practical Guide for Privateers
How to find sponsors for the Dakar Rally or Dakar Classic, step by step, with real reach numbers and concrete sponsorship packages that actually close.
May 35 min read
bottom of page