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 what happens, why it matters, and how a crew prepares for it.

Regularity, Not Speed: How the Dakar Classic Is Scored

Before the new part, the foundation. The Dakar Classic is not a race against the clock. Speed has no impact whatsoever on the classification. Penalties are handed out in points, and the crew with the fewest points at the end wins. You are asked to hold a set average and stay as close as possible to the ideal time, not to go flat out.

There is still a ceiling. In a Regularity Test the maximum speed is 140 km/h for cars and 120 km/h for trucks, and the TRIPY records your speed across the whole route. Going faster does not help you and can only cost you.

The Three Test Types: RT, NT and DT

The 2027 route is built from three kinds of test, and it helps to know them before we get to the Super version.

A Regularity Test, the RT, asks you to hold the established average speed and stay close to the ideal time throughout the section. A Navigation Test, the NT, asks you to follow the route as closely as possible and validate waypoints within a maximum allocated time. A Dune Test, the DT, asks you to validate waypoints within a maximum time in the dunes. The Dune Test is mandatory for every vehicle except a small list of cars judged unsuitable for dunes, published after the administrative checks.

The Super Regularity Test is a special way of running a Regularity Zone. Everything you know about scoring still applies. What changes is what the TRIPY shows you.

What Happens in a Super Regularity Test

In a normal Regularity Test the TRIPY is your safety net. It shows the recorded track, it runs a sector countdown, and it keeps you oriented while you concentrate on the average. Many crews lean on that screen more than they admit.

In a Super Regularity Test that safety net is gone. The regulation is precise about it. The crew drives with the TRIPY in manual mode, without tracks and without the sector countdown. The screen no longer draws your line across the desert. Instead it shows only the direction of the next roadbook note, as the crow flies, and only once you have earned it. The organiser announces which zones run as a Super Regularity Test at the daily stage briefing, so you know before you start.

That single change flips the job. You are back to real navigation: the navigator reads the roadbook, the driver commits, and the screen confirms the heading rather than drawing the route. It is closer to how rally raid was navigated before the digital track, and it separates crews who truly read the book from crews who follow a line.

The Opening Radius: When the Arrow Appears

Here is the detail that decides whether the arrow helps you or not. The direction arrow does not show all the time. It appears only when you cross the opening radius around the next roadbook note.

The opening radius is 100 metres. Approach to within 100 metres of the note and the TRIPY gives you the heading. Miss the note by more than that and you get nothing, you have to navigate yourself back onto the roadbook. There is one exception, and it exists for safety. If the next note is a danger 2 or a danger 3, the opening radius grows to 300 metres, so the warning reaches you earlier and you have more room to slow down.

One thing not to confuse: this opening radius is about when the direction arrow switches on. It is not the same as the waypoint validation radius used in the Dune Tests. Different mechanism, different number.

Every Box Is a Waypoint

The Super Regularity Test does not sit in isolation. Every box in the roadbook counts as a waypoint, and each one has to be validated within its time. There is no filler in the book.

Put that together with manual mode. Every note matters, and in the Super Regularity sections the screen will not draw you from one to the next. A missed box is not a small thing you can shrug off. Precision on the roadbook, note by note, is the whole game.

How to Prepare

We run this event, and the honest answer is that the Super Regularity Test rewards preparation you cannot fake on the day.

Practise without the crutch. If your navigator only ever reads the roadbook with the digital track visible, they are not really reading it. Cover the track on your training runs and navigate by the book alone, so the manual mode on the rally is familiar rather than a shock.

Sharpen the roles. In a Super Regularity section the split between navigator and driver is everything. The navigator has to call the next note early and with confidence, and the driver has to trust it and commit to the heading before the arrow confirms it. That rhythm is built in training, not in the desert.

Know your danger notes. Because a danger 2 or danger 3 opens the arrow at 300 metres, your navigator should be flagging those notes out loud well ahead. Treat the wider radius as what it is, an early warning, not a licence to arrive fast.

This is exactly the kind of thing our navigation training is built around, and it is where the 2027 changes will decide results.

About the Author:

Sven Syfrig is the Team Principal of TimeOut Racing, an international off-road motorsport team based in Switzerland, competing in events like the Dakar Classic. As an active rally driver and YouTube content creator, he shares hands-on insights from the cockpit, the workshop, and the world of amateur rally racing

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Super Regularity Test in the Dakar Classic?

It is a Regularity Zone run with the TRIPY in manual mode. There is no track line and no sector countdown. The TRIPY shows only the direction of the next roadbook note, and only once you are inside the opening radius. It is scored like any Regularity Test, on points, not speed.

What is the opening radius and when does the arrow appear?

The opening radius is the distance from the next roadbook note at which the TRIPY reveals the direction arrow. It is 100 metres normally, and 300 metres when the next note is a danger 2 or danger 3, so the warning reaches you earlier.

Is the Super Regularity Test harder than a normal Regularity Test?

For most crews, yes. You lose the track and the countdown that a normal Regularity Test gives you, so success depends on genuine roadbook navigation and a sharp split between driver and navigator.

Does speed matter in the Dakar Classic 2027?

No. Speed has no impact on the classification. The winner is the crew with the fewest penalty points. A maximum of 140 km/h for cars and 120 km/h for trucks still applies in Regularity Tests, and the TRIPY records it.

Based on the official ASO Sporting Regulation for the Dakar Classic 2027, version 1 of 02/06/2026. Regulations can be updated by ASO, so always verify the current Règlement before your event. Planning a Dakar Classic 2027 entry? Talk to a team that runs it.