FAQ

The Dakar Rally is one of the world's most demanding off-road endurance events, covering thousands of kilometres through deserts, mountains, and remote terrain. It was founded by French motorcyclist Thierry Sabine, who got lost in the Ténéré desert in Niger during the 1977 Abidjan-Nice Rally. Captivated by the experience, he conceived the idea of a transcontinental race from Europe to West Africa — a challenge for those who go, a dream for those who stay behind.

The inaugural Paris-Dakar Rally started on 26 December 1978 from the Place du Trocadéro in Paris and finished on 14 January 1979 in Dakar, Senegal. A total of 182 competitors — 80 cars, 90 motorcycles and 12 trucks — set off on a 10,000 km journey through France, Algeria, Niger, Mali and Upper Volta. Only 74 vehicles completed the full route. Cyril Neveu won the motorcycle category on a Yamaha, while Alain Génestier took the car victory in a Range Rover.

Thierry Sabine was the French motorcyclist and adventurer who founded the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1979. His inspiration came from getting lost in the Sahara desert during the 1977 Abidjan-Nice Rally — an experience he found so powerful that he decided to create a race around it. Sabine's famous motto was: 'A challenge for those who go, a dream for those who stay behind.' Tragically, he died on 14 January 1986 when the helicopter he was travelling in crashed during a sandstorm in Mali, in the middle of the rally he had created. He was 38 years old. His father Gilbert Sabine took over as race director until 1993.

Die Rally fand von 1979 bis 2007 in Afrika statt, wurde aber 2008 — nur einen Tag vor dem geplanten Start in Lissabon — abgesagt. Grund war eine ernsthafte Terrordrohung von Al-Qaida gegen Teilnehmer und Veranstaltung. Kurz zuvor waren vier französische Touristen in Mauretanien ermordet worden, woraufhin die französische Regierung eine dringende Reisewarnung ausgab. Es war die einzige Absage in der Geschichte der Rally. Anstatt nach Afrika zurückzukehren, verlegte der Veranstalter das Rennen nach Südamerika, wo es von 2009 bis 2019 stattfand.

Since 2020, the Dakar Rally has been held in Saudi Arabia. The event covers approximately 7,900 km across the country's vast deserts and rocky landscapes. Saudi Arabia offers an exceptional mix of terrain — from towering sand dunes and sabkha salt flats to technical rocky sections — making it one of the most challenging venues in the rally's history. The event typically takes place in January and lasts around two weeks.

Stéphane Peterhansel of France is the undisputed record holder, earning him the nickname 'Mister Dakar'. He won the motorcycle category six times (1991–1993, 1995, 1997, 1998) and the car category a further eight times (2004, 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021) — a total of 14 victories. Nasser Al-Attiyah from Qatar is the most successful car driver in the modern era with five wins, while Hubert Auriol and Nani Roma are the only other drivers to have won the rally in both the motorcycle and car categories.

The Dakar Classic is a historic rally raid introduced in 2021 by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) as a tribute to the pioneers of the Paris-Dakar. It runs in parallel with the modern Dakar Rally but on a separate, dedicated course. Unlike the main rally — where the fastest time wins — the Dakar Classic is a regularity race: competitors must complete each stage as close as possible to a set target time, rewarding precision and navigation over outright speed. Participants share the same bivouac and start/finish points as the main event, but experience a format that echoes the spirit of the original 1980s Paris-Dakar.

The Dakar Classic is open to cars and trucks for which a similar model competed in the Paris-Dakar Rally up to 1999, or any other major rally raid held before 2000. From 2025, the eligibility was extended to vehicles built up to 2005. Period-accurate replicas are also permitted. Iconic vehicles that regularly compete include the Land Rover Defender, Toyota Land Cruiser HDJ80, Range Rover V8, Porsche 911, Mitsubishi Pajero, and various Buggy prototypes from the 1980s. Vehicles are grouped into categories based on their production period and technical specifications.

Die Dakar Rally hat drei klar unterscheidbare Kapitel durchlaufen. Kapitel 1 (1979–2007): Das klassische Afrika-Zeitalter — von Paris durch Nordafrika nach Dakar, Senegal, auf bis zu 12'000 km durch die Sahara. Kapitel 2 (2009–2019): Nach der Absage 2008 wegen Terrordrohungen zog die Rally nach Südamerika — durch Argentinien, Chile, Bolivien und Peru. Kapitel 3 (2020–heute): Die Rally ist in Saudi-Arabien beheimatet, mit rund 7'900 km durch Wüste, Dünen und Felslandschaften.

Yes — and this has always been one of the Dakar's defining qualities. From the very first edition in 1979, the rally was designed to welcome both professionals and amateurs side by side. Thierry Sabine deliberately wanted adventurers, teachers, journalists and everyday enthusiasts to race alongside factory-backed teams. Today, the Dakar Classic in particular embodies this spirit, attracting passionate privateers who prepare historic vehicles and take on the desert for the love of adventure rather than outright victory.