Russian competitor Sergey Karyakin will return to the Dakar Rally after a five-year hiatus. He confirmed his team’s participation in the 2027 edition, which will take place from January 9 to 23 in Portugal and Morocco.
“Just yesterday, we confirmed that our team will participate in the 2027 Dakar Rally. We are returning after a five-year hiatus. Personally, this will be my tenth Dakar,” Karyakin said at a press conference organized by TASS.
The 2027 Dakar Rally will start in the Loulé-Faro area, while the finish will be in Marrakesh. The official schedule includes a prologue on January 9, the first competitive stage on January 10 and a total of 12 stages. The participants will cover 7,824 kilometers, of which 4,341 kilometers will be competitive special stages. The finish is scheduled for January 23 in Marrakesh.
The edition will mark the Dakar Rally’s first return to the African continent since 2007. After two days in Portugal, the race route will continue in Morocco, where a rest day is also scheduled in Agadir on January 17.
Karyakin уточни, че заради промени в техническия регламент тимът му ще бъде принуден да използва автомобил на външен производител. В предишните си участия отборът разчиташе на машини, разработени от самия него.
Karyakin won the Dakar Rally in 2017 in the quad category. In 2020, he finished second in the SSV category.
His return is also being made possible against the backdrop of the decision by the International Automobile Federation in August 2026 to lift the restrictions imposed on Russian and Belarusian competitors in 2022. Following the change, they can compete with national symbols without signing a neutrality declaration, RBC reports.