Going the distance

Dakar 2026 | Stage 9 | WADI AD DAWASIR > BIVOUAC REFUGE
January 13 ^th 2026 - 21:11 [GMT + 3]

Racing in the Dakar for the second time, Badr Alhamdan has vowed to take his Kove back to Yanbu. Ready to muscle through physical and mechanical challenges, the Saudi rider dug deep to limit the damage in the first half of the second marathon stage.

The clock had almost struck eight in the evening by the time Badr Alhamdan rolled across the line of stage 9. As the final rider to reach the refuge of the second marathon stage between Wadi ad-Dawasir and Bisha, the Saudi was beaming after conquering the dunes under the cover of darkness. "It was a magnificent thing that seemed to go on and on forever", he remarked, equally relieved to have overcome the mechanical issues that had forced him to tinker with his engine for over three hours. "I had to strip it down to adjust the valves and top up the oil that a friend managed to bring me", continued the man on Kove no. 83. "That's why I ended up tackling the dunes after nightfall."

Badr Alhamdan thrives on a challenge. His trickiest one is not taming the dunes, but his daily balancing act between a demanding career, a busy family life and a burning passion for rally raids. A Compliance Director for the Saudi Food and Drug Authority and father of five, Badr Alhamdan personifies a new generation of sophisticated Saudi amateurs capable of juggling professional responsibilities with sporting ambitions. Born in Riyadh, he discovered the thrill of riding early on in the saddle of a 50cc Honda. This childhood passion gradually led him towards rally raids and Baja competitions held across Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries. In the span of five years, he has gained quite a lot of experience on Middle Eastern desert terrain, including at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. He finally received the green light to tackle the Dakar at 42. "It was last year", he explains. "Unfortunately, I had to withdraw during stage 4 after breaking a finger." This year, Badr Alhamdan has joined Desert Storm, a miniature United Nations that also includes Ehab Al Hakeem from Lebanon and the Indian Jatin Jain.   It is a cosmopolitan partnership that reflects the spirit of the Dakar, where the Kove rider hopes to parlay his hard-earned experience into sporting success and finally realise his dream on home soil. "This year, I'm going the distance whatever it takes", he announces with determination. "I overcame my physical struggles during the first week and won't let mechanicals get in my way in the second."