Saudi Dakar Rally race director on steering the shift to sustainable tech in motor sports

David Castera, the race director of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. (Supplied)
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Updated 03 January 2024
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Saudi Dakar Rally race director on steering the shift to sustainable tech in motor sports

  • In an exclusive interview with Arab news, David Castera also details the intensive preparations for the annual event and how the Kingdom compares with previous hosts

RIYADH: Thanks to his sweeping journey from motor sports competitor to event mastermind, David Castera, the race director of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, surely embodies the spirit of one of the world’s most grueling motor sports events like no one else.

He spent his competitive career as a professional Enduro and Rally Raid driver and was crowned National Enduro Champion in France in 1992. In 2019, he was appointed director of the Dakar Rally, overseeing the event’s move from South America to Saudi Arabia.

Since then, he has been in charge of the route planning and overall organization of the annual rally raid, which this month the Kingdom will host for the fifth time.

In an exclusive interview with Arab News, Castera spoke about the evolving technological landscape of the Dakar Rally under his stewardship, the rigors of race planning, and the unique challenges that come with holding the race in Saudi Arabia.

How does the addition of new technology, including hydrogen-powered and electric vehicles, affect 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 motor sport. 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 motor sports. 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 organizing a Dakar Rally?

The Dakar Rally requires one year of preparation. We have several teams involved. There are the teams at the ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation) 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 (a series of instructions for navigating the rally route, including turn-by-turn information) 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 kilometers. 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 fifth time the event has been staged in Saudi Arabia. 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 Arabia 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.

The Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia runs from Jan. 5 to 19.


Countdown begins: 60 days until Dakar Rally returns to Saudi Arabia

Updated 04 November 2024
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Countdown begins: 60 days until Dakar Rally returns to Saudi Arabia

  • This year, the rally will be run on an entirely new route, beginning in Bisha

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia is preparing to host the Dakar Rally for a sixth consecutive year, with just 60 days remaining until the off.

Known as one of the world’s most prestigious and grueling off-road races, the rally will run from Jan. 3-17 next year, bringing new challenges and routes for pilots to navigate across the Kingdom.

This year, the rally will be run on an entirely new route, beginning in Bisha, a southern Saudi city that serves as a gateway between the Asir, central and western regions.

From Bisha, pilots will travel north across Saudi Arabia before venturing into the Empty Quarter — the world’s largest contiguous sand desert — with the finish line in Shubaytah.

The 2024 Dakar Rally, held from AlUla to Yanbu, captivated a global audience as Spanish driver Carlos Sainz, representing Audi, clinched his fourth career win in the car category and his second on Saudi soil.

In other categories, American rider Ricky Brabec triumphed in the bike class, Argentine racer Manuel Andujar took the quad title, and Spanish driver Cristina Gutierrez emerged victorious in the Challenger desert vehicle category.

Frenchman Xavier de Soultrait won in the side-by-side production class, while Czech driver Martin Macík made history with his first win in the truck category after 12 attempts.

The 2025 route will explore previously unvisited regions to highlight what Saudi Arabia has to offer tourists, according to a statement on Monday from the organizers.


Max Verstappen strikes title blow with chaotic Brazilian GP win, Lando Norris sixth

Updated 03 November 2024
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Max Verstappen strikes title blow with chaotic Brazilian GP win, Lando Norris sixth

  • The Dutchman’s triumph lifted him to 393 points, increasing his advantage over Norris, on 331, to 62
  • Alpine’s French duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly also on the podium

SAO PAULO: Three-time world champion Max Verstappen produced a virtuoso drive in often atrocious conditions to regain control of this year’s world championship on Sunday when he charged from 17th on the grid to win the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Without a win in 10 races since the Spanish Grand Prix in May, Red Bull’s series leader made light of the chaotic, rain-swept conditions to register a 62nd career triumph and fastest lap while nearest title rival Lando Norris of McLaren went from pole position to sixth.
The Dutchman’s triumph lifted him to 393 points, increasing his advantage over Norris, on 331, to 62 with just three Grands Prix and one sprint race remaining.
Verstappen finished 19.477 seconds ahead of Alpine’s French duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly with Mercedes’ George Russell fourth and Charles Leclerc fifth for Ferrari in a tumultuous contest of accidents, two red-flag stoppages, penalties and planned post-race investigations.
For Alpine, the reward was a leap from ninth to sixth in the constructors championship, reportedly valued at an estimated $50 million.
Norris, who struggled to find his usual pace, came home sixth ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes.
Verstappen’s success came on the day he overhauled Michael Schumacher’s record of leading the drivers standings for 896 days while many of his rivals faced post-race investigations for various sporting misdemeanours.
“My emotions have been a rollercoaster today — that unlucky qualifying and starting 17th made it such a tough race, but we stayed out of trouble, made the right calls and it is unbelievable to win here from so far back,” said Verstappen.
“What a day,” said a beaming Ocon. “After this difficult season, it’s so nice to drive here and the rain levelled out the performance so I am very happy.”
Gasly added: “Just incredible! For the whole team, after such a tough season, struggling for points, but two cars on the podium. Nobody would have put that on their bingo card.”
After a wet and wild qualifying, Lance Stroll set the tone when he spun off in his Aston Martin on the formation lap, leading to a delayed second start before which Norris led away without a green light and, along with Russell and both RB drivers, faced a post-race investigation.
The big Sunday crowd, part of an Interlagos weekend record of 291,717 waited patiently as Norris finally led a third formation lap before Russell beat him at the start.
Norris tucked into second ahead of Tsunoda on a frantic opening lap that saw Verstappen climb from 17th to 11th, passing Hamilton for 10th on lap two as light rain fell. By lap six, Verstappen was eighth.
By lap 11, Verstappen was sixth and clearly the fastest man on track while a struggling Hamilton bounced off before being passed by Williams driver Franco Colapinto to the delight of the many Argentine fans.
As heavy rain arrived, Leclerc pitted and fell to 11th, Lawson slid off and Nico Hulkenberg pitted before beaching his Haas, prompting a Virtual Safety Car on lap 28.
The German recovered, with aid, to re-join for which he was disqualified.
Another round of pit-stops left Ocon leading ahead of Verstappen, who stayed out to gain a tactical advantage, as Norris passed Russell for fourth behind Gasly as a Safety Car was deployed again before being red-flagged on lap 33 when Colapinto smacked the barriers at Turn 14.
“I guess everyone can just change tires for free now,” said a glum Norris realizing Verstappen had been given a cost-free pit-stop that transformed the race.
A second Safety Car, the seventh of the day, intervened on lap 40 when Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz spun off at Turn Eight and retired.
On resumption, Verstappen seized control when he powered inside Ocon to lead at Turn One while Norris ran off and dropped to seventh.
Ocon stayed second ahead of Gasly and Leclerc, but the Dutchman had the initiative and momentum, turning most pre-race forecasts on their head, making a fourth drivers title look inevitable.


McLaren’s Norris wins sprint race at Brazilian Grand Prix to cut gap on overall leader Verstappen

Updated 02 November 2024
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McLaren’s Norris wins sprint race at Brazilian Grand Prix to cut gap on overall leader Verstappen

  • Norris started second on the grid and, late into the 24 laps of the sprint race, teammate Oscar Piastri gave way to him

SAO PAULO: McLaren driver Lando Norris won Saturday’s Formula 1 sprint race at the Brazilian Grand Prix to cut his deficit to championship leader Max Verstappen.
Red Bull’s Verstappen is also under investigation for a potential virtual safety car infringement.
The gap between the two drivers, with four grands prix and a final sprint race to the end of the season, is now 45 points.
Norris started second on the grid and, late into the 24 laps of the sprint race, teammate Oscar Piastri gave way to him.
Verstappen finished third and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who also has a long shot at the title, ended fourth.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. was fifth, with Mercedes’ George Russell, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez next best.
Norris appeared to be upset about leader Piastri’s pace for most of the sprint race. “I am not sure what I am doing here, mate,” he said on the team radio. “I thought we spoke about this.”
Later, Norris said McLaren had done a good job.
“I am not proud about it but we worked well as a team together so I thank Oscar,” Norris said. “Oscar deserved (a win) but we did what we had to do.”
Piastri did not elaborate on the McLaren decision. “A great day for the team and a lot of points. We learned a lot for the race tomorrow,” he said.


Saudi female driver Dania Akeel, Stephane Duple stun rivals to lead Qatar International Baja

Updated 01 November 2024
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Saudi female driver Dania Akeel, Stephane Duple stun rivals to lead Qatar International Baja

  • Akeel’s stage win meant a female driver led the Baja for the first time in history

LUSAIL, Qatar: Saudi female driver Dania Akeel and her French navigator Stephane Duple delivered a stunning performance to lead the car category after a dramatic day’s action at the Qatar International Baja on Friday.

The Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux crew won the opening stage and then ceded time to their main rivals through the second one but did enough to take a lead of 92.9 seconds into the night halt. As a result, they lead all the crews in the FIA Middle East Baja Cup.

Akeel said: “That’s it! This is our first stage win overall. I had a great time. Stephane was amazing. The cap was changing. The stage was fast, twisty, rocky and a really nice sector by the sea. That was really steep for the first time. That was really good training. We are in a perfect position for tomorrow. It’s going to be a really fun ride.”

Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov hold second and lead the FIA World Baja Cup crews in their new petrol-engine X-Raid Mini JCW Rally 3.0i, while the Portuguese pairing of Joao Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro are third overall and lead the SSV section in a Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR.

Krotov’s X-Raid team manager Tobias Quandt said: “It was a nice day for us for testing. Our engine is still in development, but we are on a pretty good level. It’s a nice fight and a nice race. Denis had one puncture on the first stage, but he did a good job, and we are super happy to have him back in the team.”

Ferreira said: “The stages were very fast. It was very difficult navigation. I have never seen anything like this. It is very difficult to see the tracks and the junctions. We finish without any problems and Filipe did an amazing job from the navigation side. We are third and leading SSV. We are very happy.”

Joao Dias came home in fourth place in the second of the Santag Racing Can-Ams in the SSV section, and Saudi Arabia’s Mooaz Hariri moved ahead of Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal to snatch fifth in his Can-Am. Khalid Al-Jafla leads the Challenger section in his eighth-placed Taurus T3 Max.

Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti (Kawasaki) and Saudi Arabia’s Hani Al-Noumesi topped the motorcycle and quad times after the second stage of the FIM event where several riders missed vital route waypoints with the tricky navigation across the deceptive desert terrain.

FIA entrants tackled a pair of 123.91 km and 122.50 km special stages on the northwestern side of Qatar, while the motorcycle and quad riders competed over just one special of 256.42 km.

Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah started the opening stage 10th on the road behind his brother Khalifa. Krotov was first out with the burden on co-driver Zhiltsov to master the tricky navigation from the front of the field.

Both Mohammed Al-Atteya and FIA Middle East Baja Cup leader Ahmed Al-Kuwari stopped for several costly minutes early in the first stage. Al-Atteya returned to the stage start and later retired, as Abdullah Al-Rabban was also delayed and Ibrahim Al-Muhanna (engine), Camelia Liparoti and Stefano Marrini (three punctures) fell by the wayside.

Krotov stopped to change a puncture near the end of the opening stage north of the Tamim Airbase and to the east of the Khawzan Road and the delay undid all his hard work. He carded a target time of 1 hour 22 minutes and 06.1 seconds, but the stoppage was costly and Akeel beat him by 5 minutes 36.6 seconds.

Akeel, Krotov and Ferreira duly claimed the quickest times to take the leading three places in the Baja. Challenger front-runner Al-Attiyah slotted into fourth ahead of his brother Khalifa. Akeel’s stage win meant a female driver led the Baja for the first time in history.

Stage 2 covered the tracks that the bikers had taken on the first half of their stage in the morning, but the northwesterly wind had intensified. Krotov began to pass the tailenders from the motorcycle race on the run north and he eventually stopped the clocks in 1 hour 9 minutes and 24.7 seconds to win the stage and reduce Akeel’s overnight lead to 1 minute and 32.9 seconds.

The run north along the coast proved costly for the host nation’s hopes of victory. Both Al-Attiyah (loss of engine oil) and his brother Khalifa (broken engine) were sidelined, Ahmad Al-Mohannadi damaged the rear right-hand corner of his Taurus in an accident, but Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari overcame hefty delays with electrical woes and fuel pressure issues to finish over 90 minutes behind his rivals. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah will not restart on Saturday.


Verstappen unfazed by criticism after aggressive battle with Norris in Mexico

Updated 01 November 2024
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Verstappen unfazed by criticism after aggressive battle with Norris in Mexico

  • Verstappen: It is my 10th year in F1. I know what I am doing
  • Verstappen has 362 points in the drivers’ championship with four races and two sprint races to go, while Norris has 315

SAO PAULO: Three-time defending Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen said Thursday he doesn’t care about criticism of his racing tactics at the Mexico City Grand Prix last weekend.

The Red Bull driver saw his championship lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris decrease to 47 points after a race in which he received two 10-second time penalties — one for forcing Norris off the track, and a short time later for gaining position when he left the track.

Verstappen spoke ahead of this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.

“It is my 10th year in F1. I know what I am doing,” Verstappen said in a press conference at the Sao Paulo track. “I like to win. I don’t like to lose. I think not many people like to lose. I just tried to maximize the result and, like I said, some you win, some you lose.”

After Sunday’s race, won by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, the FIA also handed Verstappen two penalty points, bringing his total to six for a 12-month period.

Verstappen has 362 points in the drivers’ championship with four races and two sprint races to go, while Norris has 315. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has a more distant shot at the title. He currently has 291 points.

Asked about criticism from 1996 F1 champion Damon Hill, who considered Verstappen to be too aggressive, the Dutchman responded: “I don’t listen to those individuals. I just do my thing. I’m a three-time world champion.”

Verstappen said he takes advice on his racing from “people who are close” and “with a good heart.” He denied that one of those is three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet.

Later, Norris told journalists at Interlagos that Verstappen “deep down” knows he made mistakes in Mexico.

“I still have a lot of respect for Max and everything he does. Not respect for what he did last weekend, but I have respect for him as a person and for what he has achieved,” the McLaren driver said. “It is not for me to speak to him. I am not his teacher, his mentor or anything like that.”

Norris also said “Max knows what he has to do” about the incidents in Mexico.

“He knows that he did wrong, deep down he does. And that’s for him to change, not for me,” the British driver said.

Mercedes driver George Russell, who is one of the directors of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, said a post-race meeting in Mexico turned out to be positive despite the differences between Verstappen and Norris. He also agreed that the actions of the Dutchman should have been punished as they were.

“If you read the rules, there are lines that say if you’re driving erratically or dangerously, you’ll be punished,” Russell said. “You can argue that if a driver outranks himself and doesn’t make the corner on the exit, that is erratic because you’re driving off the racetrack. So there is an element of interpretation that for sure just needs to be cleaned up.”

Verstappen said in his press conference that F1 is probably over-regulated.

“The rulebook is only getting bigger and bigger every single year,” the three-time champion said. “I don’t think that’s always the right way forward.”