The Sonora Rally is celebrating its 10th year hosting roadbook-based navigation rallies in the Sonoran Desert of northern Mexico. An event that has bridged the gap between grassroots racers and rally pros like Skyler Howes, Sara Price and Ricky Brabec, the Sonora Rally is one of only three Road to Dakar events in the world. The race incorporates massive sand dune stages and technical roadbooks that have helped racers prepare for the ultimate navigation race in the world, the Dakar Rally, since its inception in 2016.
For the 2026 edition, moto competitors can earn six eligibility points toward a Dakar entry, while side-by-side (SSV) racers will compete for a free entry to the 2027 Dakar Rally worth more than $30,000. Sara Price, who turned her 2023 Road to Dakar victory into a celebrated debut at Dakar 2024, will return to the Saudi Arabian desert in 2026 as a Land Rover Defender factory driver and global ambassador. Her success proves that the SSV podium at Sonora continues to support some of the sport’s most ambitious and capable competitors.
But what if you don’t know how to read a roadbook?
To prepare future racers for the trials and tribulations of off-road navigation racing, Sonora Rally’s Roadbook Training Schools returns with two dates, the first from December 6-7 and the second from February 14-15. Led by two-time Dakar class winner Darren Skilton and Rodolfo “Rodo” Fernández, the courses combine classroom instruction with hands-on navigation in the dunes near San Luis Río Colorado, just south of Yuma, Arizona.
The Rally School will help racers learn the essentials necessary to navigate the open desert, offering instruction in reading symbols and tulip diagrams, as well as navigational notes, and learning how to dial in your distance and time to match every waypoint. Successfully competing in a roadbook rally requires racers to translate the hieroglyphics laid out on their digital roadbook into decisions that help them collect waypoints and, eventually, reach the finish line of each Special Stage. All of this while riding a motorcycle or piloting an SSV.
Unlike other motorsports, cross-country rally racing requires competitors to navigate the course using only a compass, odometer, and directional markings laid out in French notation. It’s not easy, and training programs like the Sonora Rally School are the perfect way for would-be racers to dip their toes into the sport. So, before you convert your dual-sport into a rally bike and outfit yourself with the latest gear in hopes of competing at the Dakar Rally, do yourself a favor and sign up for a school, learn to translate notes and compass headings into navigational decisions, so you don’t get lost in the desert.
Click here to learn more about the Sonora Rally Navigation Schools.
