Dakar 2027 cancelled? Status after the September attacks on Saudi Arabia

Updated 15 September 2026

No, the Dakar 2027 has not been cancelled. ASO confirmed this to TimeOut Racing in writing today: the rumours of a cancellation are unfounded, the organisation of the Dakar 2027 is progressing as planned, and ASO will communicate shortly. Registration remains open, the deadlines are running and our preparations continue on schedule.

What has changed is the news situation. Since February, Saudi Arabia has been part of a regional war, and the attacks of 8 September have brought that war to the south-west of the country for the first time on this scale. Anyone planning a Dakar or Dakar Classic project deserves a clear picture rather than headlines, so here is what has happened, what it means geographically, what ASO has said and what you should do now.

What ASO says

On 15 September 2026, ASO replied to our questions in writing:

"We understand your questions and they are legitimate. However, the rumors regarding a possible cancellation are unfounded.

The organization of Dakar 2027 is progressing as planned, and we are working as usual with our Saudi partners. We are, of course, following the situation closely and will communicate shortly to provide you with the necessary information."

That is consistent with everything ASO has said since the route presentation in Paris on 5 May 2026. At the time, ASO CEO Yann Le Moenner said the organiser is following developments closely as a responsible organiser, has a solid and committed partner in Saudi Arabia, and that ASO's teams were on the ground finalising the route. Media reports also indicated that ASO had looked at contingency scenarios, which is what you would expect from an organiser with more than four decades of experience running events in complex environments.

ASO does not issue a statement after every headline. It communicates when there is a decision or new information to share. The announced communication in the coming days is exactly that, and we will update this page as soon as it is out.

What happened in Saudi Arabia: the full picture

To understand what the September attacks mean for the Dakar, you need the sequence of events since February. There are two separate threat vectors, and they hit different parts of the country.

The Iran war and the closure of Hormuz. On 28 February 2026, Israeli and US strikes on Iran started a regional war. Iran retaliated with missiles and drones against US bases and civilian targets across the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia. Loud explosions were heard over Riyadh, missiles aimed at Prince Sultan Air Base and Riyadh airport were intercepted, and on 2 March two drones targeting the Ras Tanura refinery on the Gulf coast were shot down, with debris causing a fire. Aramco halted the kingdom's largest refinery out of precaution. In the following weeks a projectile hit a residential area in Al-Kharj south of Riyadh, killing two people, and the US embassy in Riyadh was hit by drones. Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and LNG normally passes. Since then, hardly any tankers have used it.

The Red Sea becomes Saudi Arabia's lifeline. Saudi Arabia was prepared for a Hormuz closure. The East-West Pipeline moves up to 7 million barrels per day from the eastern oil fields to Yanbu on the Red Sea, and the kingdom rerouted most of its exports there. This matters for the Dakar because the Red Sea coast between Yanbu, Rabigh and Jeddah is now the country's most important economic corridor. KAEC, the start and finish of the Dakar 2027, lies in the Rabigh governorate on that coast. This is the most heavily protected infrastructure in the kingdom, not a forgotten corner.

The Houthis open a second front. On 20 July 2026, the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and began attacking shipping in the southern Red Sea and at Bab el-Mandeb. Insurers in London widened the high-risk zone to include more coastline adjacent to Saudi ports. Tankers leaving Yanbu shifted north through the Suez Canal and the SUMED pipeline instead of south towards Asia. On 29 July an unclaimed drone hit two LNG vessels at the Egyptian port of Damietta on the Mediterranean, a reminder that even the northern route is not beyond reach. Saudi Arabia responded by proposing a multinational maritime defence coalition for the Red Sea, and the region is discussing overland alternatives, from an expansion of the East-West Pipeline to a proposed pipeline via Israel that Saudi Arabia has not agreed to.

8 September: the Houthis strike the south-west. On Tuesday, 8 September 2026, the Houthis launched a wave of ballistic missiles and drones against Saudi Aramco facilities in Abha, Najran and Jazan, all in the far south-west directly on the Yemeni border. More than 70 people were injured, fires broke out at several energy sites and utilities, and the Saudi energy ministry temporarily halted operations at some facilities. It was the first large-scale Houthi strike on Saudi territory in this conflict. Saudi-led forces struck targets in Yemen in the following days.

What this means geographically. The Iranian threat is directed at the Gulf coast and the Riyadh area in the east and centre. The Houthi threat is directed at the Yemeni border region in the far south-west and at shipping in the southern Red Sea. The Dakar 2027 route runs through neither. It starts and finishes at KAEC on the central Red Sea coast, runs north to Al-Ula and Ha'il, east to Al-Duwadimi, then south to Bisha, Wadi Ad-Dawasir and Al Bahah before returning to KAEC. For the first time since 2020 the rally does not enter Riyadh. The southern stages around Bisha and Al Bahah are in the same broad quarter of the country as Abha, but north of the border region that was hit, and ASO's route teams know this terrain in detail. Stages have been adjusted in past editions for weather and logistical reasons without affecting the event as a whole.

We are not security analysts and we do not pretend to be. But we have run Dakar projects in Saudi Arabia since 2022, we know the geography and we read the primary sources. The picture is a country under real pressure at its borders and coasts, with the interior and the western corridor, where the Dakar takes place, operating largely as normal.

What this means for participants

The practical answer is: nothing changes today.

The second assistance rate for the Dakar Classic 2027 ends on 30 September 2026 and registration closes on 20 October 2026. These dates are unchanged. European scrutineering and shipping are scheduled for 27 and 28 November 2026.

One point to watch is the shipping itself. Vehicles travel from Europe by sea through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea and do not pass Bab el-Mandeb, but marine insurers have widened their high-risk zone to the Saudi coast. That can move freight and insurance costs. ASO organises the transport, and we will pass on any information as soon as we have it.

If you are entered, keep preparing your vehicle and your logistics on the current timeline. If you are still deciding, the deadlines are the deadlines, and waiting for certainty that no one can give will cost you your slot rather than protect your budget. What you should do is make sure your contract with your assistance team, your insurance and your travel bookings have clear terms for the case of cancellation or postponement. This is standard at TimeOut Racing and we discuss it openly with every customer.

Our position

TimeOut Racing is preparing ten teams for the Dakar Classic 2027. We are in direct contact with ASO and follow the official channels daily. We do not speculate, and we do not publish rumours. As long as ASO says the Dakar 2027 takes place, we plan for it to take place.

If the situation changes, you will read it here first, in plain language.