Dakar Rally 2024
Saudi Arabia
Summary
- 1When is the Dakar Rally 2024?
- 2Where is the Dakar Rally 2024 held?
- 3How long is the Dakar Rally 2024?
- 4How many stages are in the Dakar Rally?
- 5Where can I watch the Dakar Rally 2024?
- 6What are the rules of the Dakar Rally?
- 7What kind of vehicles compete in the Dakar Rally?
- 8How do competitors navigate the Dakar Rally?
- 9What are the different types of terrain that competitors face in the Dakar …
- 10How does the weather affect the Dakar Rally?
- 11When did the Dakar Rally start?
- 12Who's won the Dakar Rally the most times?
The New Year opens with the 46th running of the Dakar Rally, as the famous race begins in the heat of Saudi Arabia. But what is the Dakar Rally all about, how does it work and where can you watch the Dakar? Consult our FAQs for the answer.
01
When is the Dakar Rally 2024?
The Dakar Rally 2024 starts with the Prologue on Friday, January 5 and finishes on Friday, January 19.
02
Where is the Dakar Rally 2024 held?
The Dakar Rally 2024 is held in Saudi Arabia, starting in AlUla, running all the way to the opposite side of the country and then back, finishing in Yanbu.
03
How long is the Dakar Rally 2024?
The total Dakar Rally distance is 7,891km, of which 4,727km are timed specials where the Dakarists compete against the clock. The route is the longest since the event arrived in Saudi Arabia, with competitors sleeping in trailers and even under canvas on the marathon and 48hr Chrono stages.
04
How many stages are in the Dakar Rally?
The Dakar Rally consists of 12 stages plus a Prologue, which opens the event on January 5.
05
Where can I watch the Dakar Rally 2024?
If you want to know how to watch the Dakar Rally 2024, you can keep up with it here on Red Bull TV, the Red Bull app and across Red Bull channels, where we'll have daily highlights, news from around the bivouac and special features. You can also get real time updates from Dakar.com.
06
What are the rules of the Dakar Rally?
The Dakar Rally is the biggest rally raid in the world. Part adventure, part long distance race, it works by competitors driving on public roads and rendezvous at a liaison, where they must then follow a course through waypoints to the finish line. The ultimate winners receive the prestigious Touareg Trophy. At the end of each stage, the Dakarists spend the night in the bivouac, a huge moving service park that travels with the event.
07
What kind of vehicles compete in the Dakar Rally?
In total, 778 competitors, including drivers and teams, will battle it out in the Dakar Rally 2024 in eight categories: Bike, Quad, Car, Challenger, SSV, Truck, M1000 and Classic. The first Dakar Rally in 1979 – originally the Paris-Dakar – involved cars, motorbikes and trucks, with quads and other categories being added later.
The Challenger (T3) and SSV (T4) category vehicles are UTVs or buggies designed for off-road racing and were added in 2017. The M1000 category is for prototype vehicles using innovative technology, such as the hydrogen-powered KH-7 Epsilon. The Classics were added in 2021 and features vintage vehicles from previous Dakar Rallies, some of which are even 50 years old.
08
How do competitors navigate the Dakar Rally?
Navigation is an essential component of the Dakar Rally. The event's founder, Thierry Sabine, came up with the idea for the event after getting lost in the Sahara while taking part in a desert race. That remains a major challenge of the event. Dakarists have GPS and can follow in the wheel tracks of their rivals and follow the roadbook, which sets out the route, the waypoints and the distances to each one, plus illustrations of obstacles along the way and possible hazards. The Dakarists have to make their own meticulous notes on the roadbook and follow it through every twist and turn of the Dakar Rally.
09
What are the different types of terrain that competitors face in the Dakar Rally?
The classic image of the Dakar Rally is of competitors racing over towering sand dunes, but the rally takes place in a variety of terrain to make it an all-round test of skill. In Saudi Arabia, the huge dunes of the Empty Quarter are a central part of the race, but there are sections going over jagged rocks, through canyons and even into an oasis. The Dakarists must also travel on public roads to reach the liaison and will be penalized if they or their support team break the speed limit or other local traffic laws.
10
How does the weather affect the Dakar Rally?
The Dakar Rally is the first motorsport race of the year and has been affected by extreme weather. While the forecast in Saudi Arabia in January is for sun and temperatures in the low 30s, the 2023 edition was struck by heavy rain, which led to flash floods and mud slides. Several stages had to be re-drawn and the marathon stage was abandoned.
11
When did the Dakar Rally start?
This year will be the 46th edition. The first was held in 1979 and ran from Paris to Dakar in Senegal. That became the definitive route for the first two decades, although there was a Paris-Cape Town in 1992 and a Dakar to Cairo in 2000. In 2009, the event moved to South America, racing around Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before switching to Saudi Arabia in 2020.
12
Who's won the Dakar Rally the most times?
The record for Dakar Rally wins goes to Monsieur Dakar himself, Stéphane Peterhansel. The Frenchman has won the event 14 times, winning six on a motorbike and a further eight in a car, which also makes him the most successful in those categories. Defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah has five wins in cars and is bidding to become the first driver since Pierre Lartigue in 1996 to win three in a row.
The record for stage wins at a single Dakar Rally belongs to Seth Quintero, who won 12 in a T3 buggy at the 2022 Dakar Rally. In terms of manufacturers, KTM is the overall winner with 19 in the bikes, matched by KAMAZ in the trucks. Mitsubishi is the most successful in the cars with 12 wins and, in quads, it's Yamaha with 15 – the Japanese marque is undefeated since 2009.