Jérôme de Sadeleer, who spent his childhood in Saanenland and has a passion for motorsport, took part in this year’s Dakar Rally. The legendary race took the international teams through Saudi Arabia.

It was the third time for the Dakar Rally to take place in Saudi Arabia. The route from Ha’il via Riyadh to Jeddah had a total of 4148 kilometres of special stages and 4275 kilometres of connecting stages. The drivers compete in different categories and vehicle classes. Defects and breakdowns are not uncommon. Here and there, a car lies on its roof. The legendary rally is considered one of the toughest races and should not be underestimated.

No walk in the park
There are no roads on the route plan. In the hope that the teams ahead of you have chosen the right path, you follow their tracks – if the wind hasn’t blown them away yet. The best drivers look for the best route to save time, for which they are willing to take more risks.

The shock when a car caught fire during a test drive two days before the official start of the race was great. It was the vehicle of Alexandre Pesci. He and his co-driver Stephan Kuhni, both from Switzerland, managed to escape from the burning car in time. The cause of the fire is believed to be an oil leak from a damper near the engine. They received a replacement vehicle from another team and were thus able to start the rally. Racers better come equipped with strong nerves.

de Sadeleer’s passion
And among all the participants was Jérôme de Sadeleer. Growing up in Saanenland, he discovered his love for motorsport thanks to an excursion with his father to the Le Mans 24-hour race. After stays in the USA and Great Britain, he is now at home in Germany. He piloted a buggy through the Saudi Arabian desert with his teammate Michael Metge from France. With a time of 62 hours, seven minutes and 28 seconds, they secured 17th place in their category.

BASED ON AVS/JENNY STERCHI