The Dakar Rally Raid 2021 – Part Two
Report by Team Rock Ape
18 January 2022
In part two of our look back at the 2021 Dakar Rally Raid we pick up Chris and Dee (Team Rock Ape) as they head towards Hail.
Credit A.S.O./G.Epifanio/Fotop
Al Qaisumah – Hail (Dakar rest Day)
The road from Al Qaisumah was unlike no other we had seen in our time travelling around Saudi Arabia, and not in a good way. It was as flat as anything could be and the eye could see nothing around for miles, which made the long drive a bit dull, unlike when driving through the dunes they give you some amazing sights, which are ever changing with the sometimes-harsh desert winds.
We arrived in Hail in the early evening and as we were tired headed straight for our hotel. We had chosen to stay in the Millenium as it looked good from the website, modern, clean, and offering a good choice of food and we were ready for a decent shower and bed.
One thing the Dakar doesn’t afford you is time for a long luxury shower in the morning, more like a quick wet wipe wash if you are lucky enough.
The constant noises of repairs coming from inside the bivouac followed by the teams mechanics subsequently testing the vehicles around the camping area make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep, so rising early enough to have a proper wash and breakfast is a rare event.
When I say early enough, if you want to catch the start of some of the races, the average time to rise and pack up your tent time is around 5.30am, particularly if you are a fan of the bikes.
After a very civilized evening meal which consisted of some local spicy meat and rice dish we headed to the quiet of our room, and enjoyed the welcome scent of fresh laundered comfortable bedding.
Credit A.S.O/H.Cabilla
Jubbah
We had decided that the next day we would take the opportunity to visit the area, in particular a place called Jubbah which is about 90km north west of Hail and is home to some of the finest Neolithic rock art in the region.
We always look forward to driving to a new destination for the first time, not knowing what is around the corner is (usually) great and the drive to Jubbah was no exception. The skies around Jubbah were cloudy which was ideal for our day ahead, we arrived at the rock carvings having made our way through a small village with what seemed like lots of small compounds dotted around.
The rock carvings are spread across a large area and are fenced off so visitors can only go during certain times, and it stops people camping there and making fires and adding to the 10,000 year old graffiti.
With the gates locked we were sat in our car wondering what to do, should we wait or come back tomorrow, we were rather disappointed as it was something we really wanted to see.
Nearby, sat on a patch of grass a young Saudi family were drinking coffee and eating dates, and it wasn’t long before they wandered over with offerings for us.
Everywhere we go we are blessed with the generosity of the local people. We accepted their kindness and as best we could, exchanged conversation about our and it turned out, their current dilemma. They suggested we should go to the museum in the village while we passed some time and hoped that the carvings might open later that day.
It is easy to forget here, that mornings, are not a thing, especially on Friday which is a holy day, but in general nothing really gets going until after 2.00pm and in the height of summer it can be early evening before shops and public places open. It isn’t uncommon for shopping malls to be open until 2.00am so locals can take advantage of the cooler part of the day.
So we decided to take their advice and wandered into the village in search of the museum, we found a small sign outside what looked like someone’s private yard and drove inside. We parked up and behind us was a large tented area set up with comfortable seats and several ornate looking side tables which held huge containers of dates and another container full of apples, oranges and bananas which we later found out were grown on their own farm land.
The smell of incense filled the air and we were invited to sit and join them for coffee and dates, and the young guy who was pouring us coffee kept handing over the dates, but first he dipped them in a butter like substance, something we had no idea what is was but received graciously and enjoyed the experience.
After chatting about where we were from and what we were doing in Saudi Arabia the man offered to show us around the place and we followed him towards a pair of camels which were hooked up to a device which when they walked up and down drew water from a well.
Being slightly obsessed with camels this was a highlight as we were able to get close and make a fuss of them. He then guided us through the sight which had several buildings with various rooms which were left as they would have been many years ago.
It was a delight to spend the morning learning about the lifestyles of their forefathers and they were very proud when showing us the photographs which they had on display showing his father, grandfather, and great grandfather. At one point they produced a Martini–Henry rifle which Chris then spent time teaching them a thing or two about!
One fascinating find at the museum was an old Blackstone Diesel Engine which was originally built in Stamford, Lincolnshire by Blackstone & Co (formerly Rutland Ironworks), how on earth it ended up on their small holding was another story but it was amazing to see it there.
After a couple of hours wandering round and soaking up their stories it was time to head off, we weren’t really sure what to do at this point, as the museum had no entrance fee and embarrassingly we had nothing to give them.
Cash wasn’t an option, that would be too impolite, the Islamic culture encourages giving the gift of food and while we were sat in our car ready to leave and feeling frustrated as we had nothing to offer, he walked over with an orange that he was peeling, got to our car and handed it over, he told us how they were off his brothers farm and then began to peel a second one for us.
So with prepared fruits and bananas for the journey we headed off back to see if we could get into the rock carvings.
As we arrived back at the still locked fences there were many more people waiting which gave us hope until we started to listen to the conversation. It didn’t sound very promising and then we got lucky, one visitor who was waiting outside worked at the American Embassy and his guy knew a guy who knew a guy and before too long a car pulled up and the gates were opened, this is often how things work here!
One by one we piled in and headed off to explore. The rock carvings are truly amazing, 10,000 years old and exceptionally well preserved ( well they would be if they seldom open the gates). There are images of camels, bison, goats and of men and women, young and old, some adorned in primitive jewellery, some with sorts of weapons, there are even depictions of some kind of transportation, clearing showing wheels on a cart of some kind which was being pulled along by some out of proportion beast, huge body and legs far too thin but you get the picture.
As we marvelled at the carvings and our minds were transported back to a time where we cant even begin to imagine how life was the noise of helicopters above made us look up and it brought us back to why we were in that area, the Dakar! The helicopters were carrying the camera crews and the medivac crew on their ways to the next stage and at that we called it a day and headed back to the hotel for dinner and to sit and plan our onward journey.
Credit A.S.O./E.Vargiolu/DPPI
Sakaka – Neom Marathon Stage
We decided not to follow the rally to Sakaka which is where the next stage was, so after a great night sleep and feeling relaxed we headed to Al Ula for some more R&R. We followed the 2020 Dakar over every stage and did not take any breaks and boy is it hard work, long days, short nights it is absolutely exhausting.
The drive from Hail to Al Ula was mind blowingly beautiful. Totally in awe of the stunning Martian like landscapes mile after mile we kept saying wow, oh my word, wow, look at that, until eventually we just stared in silence, staggered by everything we saw in front of our eyes. As we came around on corner we saw a swarm of locusts and there were so many you could hardly see, it was like something out of the bible!
We must have had a lucky break because we decided to stay in a resort which had just held the GCC Summit which was in a wonderful building called Maraya Hall, well worth googling if you get a chance. It is covered in almost 10,000 mirrored panels so it almost blends into the desert, truly stunning.
The resort it is housed on was only open for that event, but Prince Mohamed bin Salman had asked for it to stay open a few days and somehow we were able to book a brand new airstream camper. The campsite was immaculate, beautiful and serene, and that night we sat out by a campfire in our warm camel coats watching the stars and wondering how the chaos of the noisy bivouac was.
Sakaka to Neom was a Marathon Stage so as far as spectating it isn’t up to much. Next destination for us was Neom, and we headed off towards to Red Sea leaving the stunning red landscape of Al Ula for another time. When we arrived in Neom the bivouac was near Neom Bay Airport and as we camp on the outside perimeter we initially encountered some questions from the local guards.
The back of the airport houses some military aircraft which could be seen (through binoculars) from the camping area and we thought we would be moved on. After we showed them our Dakar jackets and they were satisfied we were not going to be taking photographs of the airport they allowed us to stay, and luckily enough for us, we had bivouac passes for the evening so we went a wander around to see what the various teams were up to.
As usual it was a hive of activity, team talks, spanners and hammers were busy, welders could be heard and all the hum drum we had become used to while staying near the bivouac was in full swing.
Credit A.S.O./C.Lopez
That night, wasn’t a good night at all, there had obviously been far too many issues and we hardly slept as there was a rally truck either revving up in the make shift garage or driving around the perimeter being test driven, which, when you are in a green tent in the pitch darkness is a frightening experience.
Consequently we were up very early the next morning, and fortunately it was a two night stay in Neom so no dismantling the tent, just a prayer that it would still be there when we got back and not flapping about on the front of a 6 wheeler!
We arrived at the start of that days racing which was by the coastline and we had a cracking spot to take photographs from. It was one of those positions where you were clicking away one minute and running the next.
I can see why photographers have been injured during sporting events, it is awesome to get close to the action, we were on a bend and some of those big trucks were coming at us wide and there were a couple of times where I looked up from the lens and legged it.
Some of the official press guys who were clearly perplexed as to how I had got to know where all the grid references were to the start and finish lines.
Credit A.S.O./F.Le Floc'h/DPPI
After we had watched most of the vehicles head off through the start line and the last helicopter had gone off into the distance we headed out to take a look at the Catalina Seaplane wreck which has been on the beach since 1960.
A family from America had landed there and fearing it was an attack plane, local tribesman shot it and the damage was so severe they couldn’t get it flying again and it has been there ever since.
We stayed a while, almost until the sun went down and our day ended early enough for us to carry out some essential camp admin and get some rest before the last of the racers came in and the noise started up again.
We didn’t set off so early the next morning as we hadn’t managed to get in touch with our contact in the logistics team for a grid but after following the route map on the Dakar app and with the help of our Garmin GPS we headed off for another day, this time in the dunes.
After a 45 minute or so drive we arrived and it was immediately apparent we were at the right place, one of the media helicopters was perched on the brow of one hill and another was doing a loop overhead.
Credit A.S.O./F.Le Floc'h/DPPI
So once again we had struck lucky and grateful we had the right car (and tyres) for the job we drove way into the dunes. This day was like no other, there had obviously been cars there before but not for some time and all around us were miles and miles of beautiful red sand dunes, the ones you usually look at on your tv screen with David Attenborough talking in the background about some rare desert creature.
Except this desert creature was not so much rare but more of a roar. It is one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen, to sit atop a dune and in the distance see huge trucks appearing and disappearing as if they were on a rough sea, up and down the dunes, steadily getting closer, and larger and noisier.
Credit A.S.O./C.Lopez
One by one at first they appeared, then three would come, then suddenly the dunes ahead were full of trucks, cars, buggies and the odd stray motorbike, swimming towards us in the sea of red, what an awesome sight.
After another day of fantastic scenery, and some awesome rally photos we headed back to camp to see what was in store for dinner.
There were literally no shops to purchase food in this area and whereas we could have whipped up something edible from the fridge we were promised a couple of ‘spare’ dinners from the loggie’s, the very same ones we hadn’t managed to contact earlier in the day, so we didn’t know if we were getting food or not.
However, late into the evening they appeared with two bags of hot meals, cold snacks, deserts, and fruits, which also did our breakfast and lunch the next day.
We sat by our campfire and ate our food, overlooking Neom Bay Airport, sounds of hammers and spanners in the background we reflected on the days racing.
We were still in such awe of the sights we had seen that we came to a decision that night, we would explore Yanbu the next day, and then head off back towards Riyadh, via Medina and the mountains.
Credit A.S.O./E.Vargiolu/DPPI
This meant we would miss a stage but we had been to a race finale before which was an amazing event, but we wanted to cut out a few hours driving.
The past two weeks had been so full of action, excitement, and wonderful sights that to head back a day early wasn’t a big deal.
We had such an experience and felt nothing (at that time) could really get any better, and you can’t ask for more than that.
Photographic Post Script
After 10,000 km of hard riding the British rider Sam Sunderland won the 2022 Dakar Rally Motorbike title beating Chile's Pablo Quintanilla into second by the smallest of margins, three minutes and 27 seconds.
The GasGas rider was third in 2021 when Chris and Dee followed the Raid, he has previously won the rally in 2017.
Sam Sunderland is the only British entrant to have won the event in any category.
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