{
  "_comment": "Dakar Rally. Route facts from ASO's 2027 announcement; 2026 results from the classification. Update `status` and `stages_done` as the rally runs, and fill in `leaders` from the daily standings.",
  "updated": "2026-09-06",
  "edition": {
    "number": 49,
    "year": 2027,
    "name": "Dakar Rally 2027",
    "country": "Saudi Arabia",
    "start_date": "2027-01-01",
    "end_date": "2027-01-15",
    "start_city": "King Abdullah Economic City",
    "finish_city": "King Abdullah Economic City",
    "status": "upcoming",
    "stages": 13,
    "stages_done": 0,
    "special_km": 5320,
    "longest_stage_km": 515,
    "longest_stage_number": 10,
    "notes": [
      "Longest route in 18 years — only the first South American edition has had more competitive distance since the rally left Africa.",
      "Nine of the thirteen specials exceed 400 km.",
      "Opens 1 January with a 30 km prologue.",
      "Two marathon stages — no team assistance overnight.",
      "Final special is only 50 km.",
      "Concentrated on Saudi Arabia's western and central regions."
    ]
  },
  "categories": [
    { "key": "trucks",    "label": "Trucks",     "icon": "\ud83d\ude9b", "featured": true,
      "blurb": "T5. Eight-tonne machines with 1,000 horsepower, three crew, and no business being airborne. They are." },
    { "key": "cars",      "label": "Cars",       "icon": "\ud83c\udfce", "featured": false, "blurb": "T1. The overall headline class." },
    { "key": "bikes",     "label": "Bikes",      "icon": "\ud83c\udfcd", "featured": false, "blurb": "Solo, no co-driver, roadbook on the handlebars." },
    { "key": "challenger","label": "Challenger", "icon": "\ud83d\udef8", "featured": false, "blurb": "T3. Lightweight prototypes." },
    { "key": "ssv",       "label": "SSV",        "icon": "\ud83d\ude99", "featured": false, "blurb": "T4. Production side-by-sides." },
    { "key": "classic",   "label": "Classic",    "icon": "\ud83d\uddff", "featured": false, "blurb": "Pre-2000 machinery, regularity format." }
  ],
  "leaders": {},
  "last_edition": {
    "year": 2026,
    "start_date": "2026-01-03",
    "end_date": "2026-01-17",
    "start_city": "Yanbu",
    "finish_city": "Yanbu",
    "stages": 14,
    "winners": {
      "trucks":     { "name": "Vaidotas \u017dala", "crew": "Paulo Fiuza, Max van Grol", "team": "N\u00f8rdis Team De Rooy FPT" },
      "cars":       { "name": "Nasser Al-Attiyah", "crew": "Fabian Lurquin", "team": "Dacia Sandriders" },
      "bikes":      { "name": "Luciano Benavides", "crew": "", "team": "Red Bull KTM Factory Racing" },
      "challenger": { "name": "Pau Navarro", "crew": "Jan Rosa", "team": "BBR Motorsport" },
      "ssv":        { "name": "Brock Heger", "crew": "Max Eddy", "team": "Loeb Fraymedia \u2013 RZR Factory Racing" },
      "classic":    { "name": "Karolis Rai\u0161ys", "crew": "Christophe Marques", "team": "Ovoko Racing" }
    },
    "note": "Benavides took the bike title by two seconds after two weeks of racing \u2014 the closest finish in the rally's history."
  }
}