Saudi Next Gen 2: How The Kingdom Is Turning Young Talents Into Future Dakar Champions

From Yanbu To Dakar – A Saudi pathway to world‑class rallying

The second season of the “Saudi Next Gen” program has become one of Saudi Arabia’s most important national projects for developing motorsport talent, offering a complete training pathway that links institutional support with the personal ambition of young drivers and co‑drivers.
The press conference for the program was held in Yanbu during Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia 2026, underscoring how closely this initiative is tied to the world’s toughest desert rally and overseen by the Ministry of Sport, the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, and Saudi Motorsport Company.

Saudi Next Gen: How participants are selected and shaped

• The program’s core goal is to prepare and empower young Saudi talents for participation in regional and international motorsport championships through a structure that combines technical, physical and mental development.

• Organisers used the press event to outline updates for the second edition, including selection mechanisms based on clear performance and potential criteria to identify candidates with the highest ceiling for professional growth.

• The training concept includes:

  • Classroom sessions on rally regulations, event structures and timekeeping.

  • Workshops focusing on safety, discipline and teamwork inside and outside the car.

  • Real‑world driving and navigation exercises in environments that simulate long‑distance desert rally stages.

• The emphasis is as much on building the mindset of a professional rally driver—decision‑making under pressure, risk management and endurance—as it is on outright pace over a single stage.

A sustained national commitment to nurturing motorsport talent

• The second season builds directly on the success of the inaugural edition and clearly reflects Saudi Arabia’s commitment to investing in people and creating a generation capable of competing at the highest levels of motorsport.

• The program is closely aligned with national development objectives by:

  • Identifying promising young drivers and co‑drivers early and placing them into structured development funnels.

  • Providing professional‑level coaching and facilities under the supervision of experienced rally and Dakar personnel.

  • Anchoring Saudi talent development to a flagship global event in the form of Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia.

• Dakar director David Castera described the rally as a “complete human experience for building champions,” and characterised Saudi Next Gen as a crucial step in giving Saudi youth a clear and realistic route into Dakar competition.

Voices from inside the program: achievement and the start of a professional journey

• Program ambassador Yazeed Al Rajhi highlighted during the press conference that Saudi Next Gen offers 10 genuine opportunities for drivers and co‑drivers, noting that just reaching this stage is both an achievement and the beginning of a serious professional path.

• Al Rajhi stressed that Dakar demands far more than raw speed; success is built on:

  • Patience in training and in accepting gradual progress.

  • Experience in reading terrain and reacting to mechanical issues.

  • A fully integrated partnership between driver and co‑driver inside the cockpit.

• Hamza Bakhsheib, one of the first‑edition winners now competing in Dakar, pointed out that mechanical problems are part of rally reality, and that in‑car teamwork is often the decisive factor in overcoming them; he credited the program with raising participants’ level in driving, course reading and self‑confidence.

• His co‑driver, Fahad Al‑Omar, who also secured qualification through the first edition, described earning a Dakar 2026 entry as a pivotal milestone in any rally driver’s career and called Dakar a unique school in patience, endurance and discipline.

A continuous, step‑by‑step pathway: from 100+ entrants to a focused Dakar‑ready group

• The drivers and co‑drivers who advanced to phase two of the second edition—including:

  • Reem Al‑Aboud and co‑driver Shurooq Al‑Omari

  • Rakan Al‑Tuwajri and co‑driver Saeed Al‑Ghamdi

  • Fahd Al‑Dhafiri and co‑driver Mishaal Khalaf Al‑Shahri

  • Basel Al‑Shamrani and co‑driver Khalaf Al‑Udailey

  • Prince Abdulaziz Al Saud and co‑driver Abdullah Al‑Shammari

• Emphasised that the initiative functions as an ongoing, layered pathway rather than a one‑off selection event.

• They noted that the program initially attracted more than 100 male and female entrants, followed by multiple filtering stages and intensive assessments to identify those best prepared to progress.

• According to the participants, the cumulative experience gained at each phase:

  • Deepens their understanding of the specific risks and demands of desert rallying.

  • Sharpens core skills in car control, navigation, stamina management and mental focus over long stages.

  • Acts as a genuine springboard from the amateur ranks to a realistic shot at professional status and international competition.

From a national initiative to a true Dakar talent factory

The second season of Saudi Next Gen signals a clear evolution in Saudi Arabia’s motorsport strategy—from merely hosting major events to systematically developing homegrown talent capable of winning within them.
Its integrated training structure, strong backing from government and federations, and early success stories from the first cohort all indicate that this is not a short‑term campaign but a long‑range project to build a Saudi rally ecosystem with Dakar at its peak.
As the pool of trained participants grows and the quality of preparation climbs year after year, the question is no longer whether a Saudi Dakar champion will emerge from this system, but how many such champions the program will produce in the coming decade.