Everything you need to know about the 2025 Dakar Rally

The Dakar Rally, known as ‘The Dakar’ and previously known as the ‘Paris-Dakar Rally’, was first run in 1978. Back then competitors would begin in Paris, France, and drive through the Sahara Desert to the Senegalese capital of Dakar on the western tip of Africa.

The event moved around the world in the 2000s due to safety issues. In 2009, it was run in South America. Since 2020, the Dakar Rally has taken place in Saudi Arabia.

The 2025 Dakar Rally route

The sixth edition of the Saudi Arabian Dakar Rally has a route that spans almost 8,000 kilometres from Bisha, in the south-west of Saudi Arabia, to Shubaytah in the east.

Organisers redrew this year’s route to make it more challenging for drivers and teams. In 2024, the route didn’t tackle the south-west of Saudi Arabia, instead beginning in Al-’Ula, stretching to Shubaytah, and ending up back west in Yanbu.

The 2025 Dakar Rally begins with a 29km prologue stage in Bisha on January 3. This stage includes wide dirt and gravel tracks interspersed with some technical sections. The top-10 competitors in competitive classes will be able to pick their starting order on the next day.

On January 4, the competitive part of the Dakar Rally begins as teams take on the full 500km loop in Bisha where rocks and stones punctuate the terrain.

The ‘48H Chrono’ follows on January 5-6. This is a marathon stage that tests endurance and performance over 1,000km. Dakar Rally calls this the “quintessential rally-raid experience” as drivers will reach rest areas at 5pm local time on each day, and leave at the crack of dawn - focusing on the survival of their machines through fog and over sand dunes.

Competitors rest at Bisha after the marathon stage then head 845km north through Makkah to Al Henakiyah. It’s this stage that will give competitors the first indication of where they properly stand in the competitive order with high-throttle sections most of the way.

On January 8, riders and drivers tackle 588km of volcanic terrain and plunging canyons on their way to Al-’Ula. The finish line here takes them into a dedicated bivouac (temporary camp) where motorbike riders have just 90 minutes to repair and service their motorbikes, while car drivers have no restrictions. However, service vehicles cannot enter the bivouac, meaning competitors are largely self-sufficient here.

Stage five (January 9) goes from Al-’Ula to Hail, from super-fast sandy tracks to more technical rocky sections, over 491km. January 10 is a rest day in Hail.

The second week of the 2025 Dakar Rally begins on January 11, heralding a series of far longer stages than before. The first day takes riders and drivers from Hail to Al Duwadimi through Al Qassim, on a route spanning 829km. Narrower tracks and sand dunes make the second part of this route very challenging.

On January 12, drivers and riders split up and take on special courses in a loop that spans around 490km. This loop includes mountain passes and a mix of slow and fast sections, and ends up back at Al Duwadimi.

January 13 sees competitors head 733km to Riyadh. This route might be more straightforward than the previous day’s route but the toll of 10 days of rallying will begin to hit competitors. 

Next up is a rapid 589km run further east to Haradh on January 14. Competitors wake up at the crack of dawn on January 15 to head 638km further west towards Shubaytah. This route takes them into the Empty Quarter - a sandy desert expanse. Drivers and riders tackle huge dunes that can trap their machines, or cause them to roll, if they’re not careful.

From the Shubaytah bivouac, drivers take on the first of two 500km loops on January 16. There are three separate courses here so trucks, bikes and cars will not be following each other’s tracks.

Finally, the 2025 Dakar Rally ends with a 205km loop south-east of Shubaytah, after which the winners of each class will be crowned on January 17.

The winner of the Dakar Rally is the driver or rider who navigates the stage in the quickest time possible. Of course, not all the vehicles are equal - which means there are numerous classes and sub-classes…

The 2025 Dakar Rally competitors and classes

There are six categories in the 2025 Dakar Rally: Bike, Car, Challenger, SSV, Truck, M1000 and Classic.

In total, there are 353 teams competing in the 2025 Dakar Rally while there are 94 more in the classic category.

Dakar Rally Rookies - riders or drivers making their debut in the event - are also in a different category from Dakar Rally Legends, who have competed in more than 10 editions of the event.

Here’s a guide to the classes that will compete in the 2025 Dakar Rally:

Bike

Two-wheeled motorcycles powered by engines up to 450cc in volume.

This class is split into RallyGP - for experienced riders only - and Rally 2, where riders are limited to a speed of 160km/h.

Riders in either of the above categories competing without outside assistance, and minimal assistance from the event itself, are put into the ‘Original by Motul’ category.

There are 136 Bike teams in the 2025 Dakar Rally.

Car

This is a category for four-wheeled vehicles weighing under 3,500kg. The cars can be either four- or two-wheel-drive.

Cars usually seat two people - a driver and a navigator - that can use a normally-aspirated engine, a diesel engine, a hybrid unit - or even be fully-electric or hydrogen-powered.

They are separated into sub-classes depending on their engine sizes, weight, and other specifications such as body types: T1 Ultimate, T1+, T1.1, T1.2, T1.3, T2.1, and T2.2. T1 is for purpose-built cars - generally the fastest cars at the event - while T2 is for ‘stock’ or production vehicles.

There are 67 Car teams in the 2025 Dakar Rally.

Challenger (T3)

This class is for lightweight prototype cross-country four-wheeled vehicles, with all four wheels or just two wheels driven.

They are essentially buggies, purpose-built for the environment, but less powerful than the Cars. This class is divided into two sub-classes (T3.U and T3.1) to separate custom-built buggies from production buggies.

There are 54 teams in the 2025 Challenger class.

SSV (T4)

SSV stands for ‘side-by-side vehicles’. This is a class for four-wheeled-vehicles that are much smaller and lighter than the Challengers.

SSVs are divided into sub-classes depending on whether they are custom-built or production vehicles, and there are 51 SSVs in the 2025 Dakar Rally.

Truck (T5)

Trucks are the behemoths of the Dakar Rally: four-wheeled vehicles weighing more than 3,500kg, up to 8,760kg. Inside the truck is a driver, a navigator, and a dedicated engineer to keep the truck going throughout the stage.

Trucks have always been at the Dakar Rally to support teams and competitors but they began racing officially in the event in 1982.

Sub-classes divide trucks from production vehicles as in the other Dakar Rally classes. Support trucks are still classed (as T5.2) in the Dakar Rally event to ensure they fall under strict guidelines.

There are 45 truck teams competing in the 2025 Dakar Rally.

Classic

Classic Dakar Rally is for vehicles produced before December 31, 2004. This is then divided into three sub-categories for vehicles produced before 1986, vehicles produced between 1986 and 1999, and vehicles produced between 1999 and 2005.

The cars and bikes here are not judged on outright speed, but average speed and navigation, to ensure that more powerful machines can compete alongside less powerful ones.

Even though T1 Cars might be the fastest class in the Dakar Rally, each class provides an intense challenge and amazing spectacle.

The world's toughest motorsport event begins on January 3, 2025, where competitors will celebrate endurance, skill, and determination in a new, stunning route around Saudi Arabia.