For the second year in a row, national flags will not be permitted on vehicles competing in the Dakar Rally.

The policy is codified by Article 6.3 of the ASO’s FIA rulebook and and Article 6.1.1 on its FIM counterpart. The former states, “No national flag is allowed beside the Driver’s and Navigator’s initials and surnames on competition and service vehicles,” whereas the latter simply writes, “No flags are allowed on the vehicle and Rider’s [sic].”

While the ASO never gave a formal reason for the rule’s existence, many have surmised it is to ensure the race is a “truly neutral” event, especially in such a contentious region. The war in Gaza had been raging for two months before the 2024 Dakar with ramifications that has impacted racing in the Middle East, such as the 2023 Jordan Baja’s cancellation and the Red Sea crisis causing shipping delays for some competitors.

Saudi Arabia has not taken a side in the war, instead preferring to be a mediator, and is far enough from Israel and Palestine that the war is unlikely to spill over. While security concerns plagued the 2022 Dakar after explosions destroyed Camelia Liparoti and Philippe Boutron’s service trucks, injuring the latter and prompting organizers to switch from staying in hotels to isolated camps, the race has been relatively safe since moving to the country in 2020.

Nevertheless, with the obvious difficulties in assuring racer safety in a massive desert, the ASO probably does not want to take any chances.

The rule only applies to Dakar. The rest of the World Rally-Raid Championship, including the non-ASO Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in the neighboring UAE, does not have such a policy.

Most teams black out the flag on their vehicles if they had been applied beforehand. Violations risk a fine of €500, which Marco Piana received during Stage #9 of the 2024 race after sticking his name onto his truck but forgetting the French flag was attached to the decal.

Featured image credit: David Pabiška