SAUDI NEXT GEN : BECOME A DAKAR CHAMPION
Saudi Next Gen Season II winners
The second edition of the Saudi Next Gen academy, organised in partnership with the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation (SAMF) and created to spot and nurture budding Saudi talents in the mould of national hero Yazeed Al Rajhi, has come to a close after five days of training and competition. The driver Abdulaziz Al Saud and the navigator Meshal Khalaf Alshammari have punched their ticket to the 49th edition of the Dakar, scheduled for January 2027.
For five days, the current Saudi Next Gen promotion was thrown into a made-to-measure mini-Dakar in and around Yanbu. From road book training sessions and mechanics classes to learning the rule book and taking on the terrain across private test tracks, as well as the prologue and stage 1, the five crews that had earned a spot on the programme got an intense and action-packed taster. The rules were tweaked this year so that the top driver and the top navigator could be picked separately. It was about far more than pure driving prowess. Rally raids demand a broader skill set, as chief instructor Edoardo Mossi, a former Dakar rider turned rally organiser, explains: "Our candidates were assessed against twelve criteria, including their development potential, how they look after the car, their ability to function within a team and their physical condition, among others. In this discipline, weaknesses in one area can be offset by strengths in another".
The final call to name the two warriors set to earn their Dakar stripes in 2027 was made during the daily briefing ceremony on the podium in Yanbu. "We saw progress right across this hardcore training camp and it was extremely close; the outcome may well have been decided on the final day", Mossi points out. "As it happens, two candidates who didn't even drive together during the programme will be paired in the same car next year." Abdulaziz Al Saud will take the wheel, with Meshal Khalaf Alshammari navigating on the road book. The newly crowned duo have already enjoyed an XXL celebration courtesy of their fellow trainees. "What started as a dream has become a reality", beamed Abdulaziz Al Saud. "I'm so happy to win. I can't wait to take part in the Dakar next year! I'll keep pushing myself and improving throughout the season to be ready for the event." Before getting started with their own preparation, the new brothers in arms will be watching closely how the Season 1 Saudi Next Gen winners fare. So far, Hamzah Bakhashab has brought his SSV home in 23rd place in stage 1, while Abdullah Al Shegawi ran into mechanical trouble, all part of the learning curve, and ended the stage in 38th position, second-last. It takes more than one try to tame the Dakar.
