The Dakar prepares. All is ready for the ultimate challenge. The 46th edition starts on 5 January in AlUla. It ends on 19 January in Yanbu. In between, there are twelve stages which are part of the "toughest edition ever". These words come from David Castera, the competition's director. He's someone who's done it all before coming to run one of the world's most important events. He was an enduro rider, a world champion in team competition, and a five-time Paris-Dakar winner. 

He then moved into the world of organisation, joining the Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.) in 2005 as Sports Director and Deputy Director of Mechanical Sports. He was the driving force behind the relocation of the rally from South America to Saudi Arabia. Since then, he has helped to plan and organise the entire Dakar in Saudi Arabia. For this year's edition, Castera and his team have gone one step further. 

There will be thirteen stages covering a total of 7,891 kilometres, 4,727 of which will be timed, and a 48-hour individual time trial between the stages in which the riders will be isolated. It is a total challenge.

What is the key to finding the perfect rally route for an endurance race such as the Dakar Rally?

 “We obviously need all the ingredients of a rally-raid. This means we need the possibility to create a course with dunes, sand, rocks, fast sections, slow sections, and navigation. So, I find all these ingredients in the deserts, the vast deserts. And it's true that today Saudi Arabia offers many possibilities to connect all these factors together, which is not always the case elsewhere. The desert is an integral part of the rally and a major ingredient of rally-raid.”

How difficult is it to find a compromise between terrain, navigation, and safety?

“It's true that it's not easy because if we make it too difficult, we can make mistakes and compromise the safety of the event. With navigation, it should not be a lottery, meaning navigation should be challenging enough to bring out the human qualities of the driver or co-driver but not so difficult that winning becomes a matter of luck.

So, we always must find that balance and constantly work with the land. It's a real task that requires a lot of time and asking the right questions. With experience, we can find that balance, but it's always a bit challenging.”

How much of a challenge is it to take the different categories into consideration when sourcing the routes for the different stages?

 “It's true that today we have motorcycles, trucks, cars, and what we call small SSV buggies. So, all these categories must navigate the same terrain. I would even add another category: amateurs and professionals. We are fortunate to have a sport where we can still mix these two categories of competitors. And everything needs to be suitable for both. So, there are stages that will be very difficult for some and easy for others, etc. But we are always seeking the balance between difficulty and category. We also need to consider the trucks; they can't go everywhere. We constantly have all these categories in mind and must ensure that everyone gets their fair share of the terrain they are looking for. It's a continuous quest for balance.”

Saudi Arabia has a variety of different terrains, landscapes, and climate zones on offer. What impact does this has in choosing the route?

“We must work with all the ingredients that Saudi Arabia provides. Some things can be exploited, and others cannot. We have difficulty going into the mountains with rallies or into forests, for example. For instance, we can't land helicopters in certain areas or reach the injured. So, we need to work with what we have. The Empty Quarter is a challenge for us because we can't go very deep into it, given that there's no access. We immediately lose the potential to bring in fuel, supplies, aircraft landings, and so on. So, we have to adapt. Even though we are in deserts, we still need access. We need a certain road network to ensure the safety and logistics of the event. So, that's important. But Saudi Arabia has offered us vast deserts that truly suit our sport and rally-raid in general. We are experiencing what we used to have in Africa. Vast deserts, little civilization, endless dunes. We find all these elements here in Saudi Arabia, and they are very important. These elements significantly influence the routes and their challenges.”

Do you find your experience having taken part in the Dakar Rally yourself beneficial to sourcing the route and being Race Director?

 “I think both positions are hard to compare, and I would say it is not about preferring one over the other. In any case, the life of a driver or co-driver is much simpler than the life of an organizer.

The director’s role is much more complicated. It carries a greater amount of pressure and responsibility.”

 “Today, beyond being a competitor, I have been a motorcycle competitor, I have organized small events. First as a private individual in France, then in Europe. Then I worked on the Dakar as a sports director. Afterward, I bought an event, the Rally of Morocco, which I organized for two consecutive years on a personal basis. It was only from that moment on that I felt ready to say yes to being the director of the Dakar.”

 “I mean, it really requires a mastery of many subjects. It's not something that can be improvised. However, just because you've been a driver doesn't mean you can be a good Dakar director. I think that's also a plus for some, but for others, it doesn't work either. But in any case, I think it remains a significant advantage.”

How does the addition of new technology, including  hydrogen and electric vehicles, impact the Dakar Rally?

 “The Dakar needs to embrace new technology. It's related to what's happening in the world and climate issues. The Dakar must be part of and contribute to a mobility revolution. We are fortunate to have a sport that is highly demanding. If we can succeed in this sport, we can apply it to many others.”

 “So, it's not the effects of vehicle technology on the Dakar; it's more about the Dakar wanting to introduce these vehicles and new technologies to the rally, to the tracks. Why? Because the Dakar must align with today's global issues, listen to them, and, most importantly, serve as a laboratory. Today, this is also the great strength of motorsport. It has always been a driver, an accelerator for technologies, including safety, performance, and more. The Dakar has begun its energy transformation and pushed new technologies so that they become part of the rally. We have the introduction of hydrogen and electric technologies, but it doesn't always progress as quickly as we want due to logistical challenges.”

 “Today, we use them for demonstrations alongside our events to work on and develop the future of the rally so that one day we can make a complete transition. Right now, we're in the experimentation phase, but we're working hard on the topic.”

What keeps you going and what do you enjoy most about being on-site during the Dakar Rally?

 “First and foremost, I'm simply passionate about motorsports. I used to ride motorcycles before I got into rally-raid. I became interested in the Dakar Rally at a very young age and was captivated by those vast expanses, deserts, and the idea of crossing them on motorcycles and in cars, facing the risks. I also need that adrenaline rush. I can't imagine living without it, and I cultivate it in various ways on different levels. But being in the desert, setting up camps as I've done numerous times in Saudi Arabia, those are extraordinary moments for me.”

 “However, the 15 days of the rally itself don't bring me the same pleasure. They are the least enjoyable because of the pressure and the many things to manage; it's not the most pleasant part. But things like reconnaissance missions, for example, traversing the country at a relaxed pace with smaller teams, that's what motivates me, that's what I enjoy. At that time, the passion I feel makes me want to share my experiences with the drivers afterward. Obviously in a different way, because they are racing against the clock, while we are following and overlooking the racing action. However, it is about conveying what I have experienced, the atmosphere, the people I have met, and I want to share that. When people are happy, I'm happy. But for me, the pleasure lies before the rally itself.”

How much preparation time goes into organising a Dakar Rally?

 “The Dakar Rally requires one year of preparation. We have several teams involved. There are the teams at the A.S.O. office in Paris, who mainly work on the sporting aspects and the specifications. And then there are also all the Saudi teams associated with us, who are more focused on logistics.”

 “Together, we work for over a year to prepare for this rally. So, we need to make about four to five inspection trips of around two weeks each to arrive at a more or less complete Dakar. Additionally, there are roadbook checks. So, we end up doing five or six complete passes of the Dakar in a year to prepare for it.”

 “So, we essentially do four Dakar Rallies with our vehicles to prepare for one. But to give you an idea, we cover a lot of kilometres. Some routes get approved, others don't. Some routes are prohibited, so we need to come back. There is a lot of work to ensure that everything is validated and well organized by all the institutions so that we can launch the rally.”

The 2024 Dakar Rally will be the 5^th edition of the Dakar in Saudi. What changes have you noticed in the past five years?

“Indeed, the rally has evolved because, first and foremost, we have learned to understand the country, we have experienced the desert and learned to read, and work with respective terrain. Initially, we barely touched the Empty Quarter. Today, we are fully immersed in it. We explore the dunes even more. So, we discover new territories, new tracks. And we adapt the Dakar accordingly.”

 “It becomes more challenging with time because we get better at measuring the level of difficulty of the tracks. The difficulty of the sand, rocky tracks, and the weather has presented many challenges, forcing us to be cautious because there can be heavy rain. We've experienced a lot of rain and had to change stages accordingly. It's a constant evolution, but it also has a significant impact. The nights are much shorter, so the competitors drive more at night than when we were in South America. It's much colder, which has changed habits, and competitors face different challenges. In South America, it was summer and too hot. Here, it's rather cold. So, it has brought about many changes and has made the race tougher if anything.”

What sets the Dakar in Saudi apart from previous hosts?

“I believe that all the Dakar Rallies are special. Each Dakar has its own uniqueness. But, as I mentioned earlier, the weather has a significant impact on the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia making it more challenging. The multitude of deserts, very different and vast deserts. The landscapes too. It's true that this is a Rally that evolves with time. Still, it remains the Dakar with all its ingredients: the desert, the difficulty, solitude at times, the weather, night, cold, heat, dunes. Everything exists. Navigation has become more challenging in Saudi Arabia, and that is one of the primary characteristics that makes it very special.”

 “It runs on relatively fast tracks, often less dangerous than what we have experienced elsewhere. Nonetheless, the Dakar Rally must remain a special event, and we always work to keep it special. That's why we reinvent ourselves and create new concepts. This year, there's the "48 Hours Chrono," a two-day special in the desert, in the Empty Quarter, which will be absolutely incredible. We constantly try to bring in something new. It's important to maintain this attraction and keep reinventing ourselves. The desert helps us do that, but we also need to be imaginative and offer new things to always remain attractive and make this rally the greatest rally in the world. We manage to do so also thanks to Saudi Arabia!"