Back in 1977 Thierry Sabine wandered into the Libyan desert while the Abidjan-Nice Rally was going on. He returned to France fascinated with the landscape and shared his experiences and eventually creating a route starting in Europe that went to Algiers and crossing Agadez and finishing at Dakar.
Now in 2021 the journey of exploration continues in Saudi Arabia and according to the Dakar site a new route has been created. The rally-raid consists of one stage per day and at least one “special stage” per day which includes often several hundred kilometers. The 12 stages are scheduled for January 3rd to the 15th and includes one rest day. Follow all the action and see what is required to be Dakar Proven™.
According to the Dakar website the 2021 route will be all new, including every single kilometer of the special stage. Even the sectors where raw power comes to play has been shortened. Be sure to come back to this page for future updates.
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There aren’t Method Race Wheels on Ricky Brabec’s motorcycle. But that doesn’t stop him from being a Method Race Wheels athlete and as the winner from last year’s Dakar, all eyes are on him.
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Ricky Brabec’s first debut to Dakar was in 2016 and finished with a creditable 9th place. In just a few years he became one of the world’s best off-road riders and just last year he managed to win Dakar. This made him the first American rider in history to win the Dakar. Now he’s looking to join a prestigious inner circle of just seven bike riders who’ve consecutively won the rally.
It was at the young age of five where Andrew Short began riding and quickly turned pro at 17. His first Dakar wasn’t exactly a smooth experience and fractured his ankle with two days to go, but still managed to cross the finish line in a respectable 17th place. During Dakar 2019 Andrew made his way up to sixth place. Andrew heads into Dakar 2021 with the Monster Energy Yamaha Rally team and has been training with the reigning Dakar champion Ricky Brabec.
Toby became the first Australian to win the Dakar. Toby is the type of rider who is laser focused on winning and can count on to get a podium finish. With the pandemic around, he knew most of the year would be quiet, but as soon as racing resumed Toby quickly got back on the horse—finishing fourth at the Andalucia rally and training in Dubai in preparation for the Dakar. For Toby, winning is the only thing that matters.
Nasser has been racing the Dakar since 2004 and has a record of multiple victories. For the past four years he’s been driving with the Toyota Gazoo team and is ready to take on the even more technical 2021 edition. Amidst the pandemic he spent months at home with his family and then went to his second home in Barcelona to hone his driving skills. He will be accompanied by his navigator Mathieu Baumel who helped Nasser win the Andalucia Rally in October. He’s looking forward to hitting Dakar in full force with the number 301 on his vehicle.
Austin got his first taste of Dakar only a year ago, but since then the rising star has been fascinated by the experience. This year he joins the Monster Energy Can-Am factory team who are also defending their title from Casey Currie’s victory last year. Off-road racing is in the family, his father Jesse Jones is a legendary driver and run Jones Motorsports team. His goal is to follow the footsteps of Currie and Brabec as USA Dakar champions.
