The last preparatory phase for the Dakar is taking place for the third consecutive year in Jeddah, on the shores of the Red Sea.
Whilst the King Abdallah Stadium has been taken over by the race officials responsible for the rally's administrative checks and technical scrutineering, the doctors and their teams have also been busy in light of the COVID pandemic context in which the race is taking place.
A campaign of 3,500 PCR tests has been organised for all people with a pass for the event. Indeed, the protocol implemented required a negative test to be able to travel to Saudi Arabia.
After having satisfied the health requirements, the riders, drivers and crews summoned got to grips with the scrutineering circuit in order to be ready for the first stage to Ha'il on 1st January.
The BRX team's Sébastien Loeb and "Nani" Roma were able to give voice to their ambitions in the car category, just like the riders of the Honda team, who have won the last two editions on two wheels. However, their rivals at Yamaha have a new trump card in their pack in Andrea Peterhansel, charged with striving in the wings of the blue team to try and bring back the title that her husband won for the constructor in 1998.
In an atmosphere of renewed acquaintances, many riders and drivers thoughts were with the six times winner of the truck category Karel Loprais, who died this morning in the Czech Republic.
