One January day in 2024, Jan Brabec was riding his bike along the road section after completing a Dakar Rally stage. On his way back to the bivouac, something caught his eye: a battery of MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile systems stationed nearby.

He noted they seemed to go on for “tens of kilometers” and were all “aimed towards Iran”. In that moment, Brabec felt the setup seemed a bit much. Two years later, as West Asia erupts into drone and missile-based warfare, it makes a lot more sense.

“At the time, I had no idea why,” Brabec commented on Monday. He went on to finish that Dakar 15th in Rally2. “Nowadays, I understand.”

Patriots are used by the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces as part of the country’s Peace Shield network to intercept missiles and drones. They have seen extensive action in protecting the country from air attacks by Iran and its allies like the Houthis, whom the Saudis had been fighting in Yemen. In a notable case from 2021, a Houthi missile was shot down by a Patriot missile shortly after the Formula E race in Diriyah.

The 2024 Dakar took place just three months after the war in Gaza began. While Saudi Arabia was too far away from the fighting to be affected (unlike the Jordan Baja, which was canceled for 2024) and wished to be a mediator, the ASO took measures like banning the use of national flags on competitor vehicles. The flag restriction, ostensibly for safety reasons, has remained in place since including at this year’s race.

The start of the most recent conflict in late February has had major ramifications on Saudi Arabia. Following the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by joint U.S.–Israeli airstrikes, Iran has launched multiple waves of drones and missiles on American bases and civilian infrastructure across virtually every neighboring country.

Although Saudi Arabia is friendly with the United States, the only military action taken by the affected nations have solely been to defend themselves from the Iranian strikes. At least two people have been killed in Saudi Arabia by the attacks.

The Saudis have had to walk a diplomatic tightrope since the Gaza war began due to their ties to the U.S. and complex relationships with Israel and Iran. The kingdom condemned Israeli operations against Iran in 2025 and forbade the U.S. from using the country as a staging ground to go after Iran, but likewise has criticized the “blatant and cowardly Iranian attacks” on them.

As the response to Iran’s attacks necessitated more air defenses, the Patriot and other interceptors have become increasingly vital. Turkey received an additional MIM-104 to bolster the southeastern flank alongside NATO, while the U.S. redeployed Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launchers from South Korea to the Middle East despite Korean protests. Ukraine has also offered to serve as a guidance and testing ground for such defenses due to the experience gained from protecting against Russian drone onslaughts, which rely on UAVs made in Iran and their templates.

Naturally, the crisis means racing in the region as well as sports in general have been greatly impacted. The Rally Jameel, an all-women raid in Saudi Arabia, was indefinitely postponed on Monday. Formula One’s Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix remain scheduled for mid-April at the moment, though the timing means a decision must be made eventually. As of this article’s publication, the inaugural Oman International Baja is also currently still on for March 26–28, though Oman’s port in Salalah had been struck by Iranian drones earlier on Wednesday.

Featured image credit: Antonin Vincent / DPPI / ASO