Watch daily extended 52-minute highlights from the 2024 edition of the Dakar Rally exclusive and free - available earlier each morning via - plus a daily 15-minute mini recap and more from January 6-20.
What is the Dakar Rally?
The Dakar Rally is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation and is famous for its tough terrain and off-road endurance, where an expansive field must traverse sand, rocks, gravel, and tarmac as quick as possible.
First held in 1979, drivers were tasked with racing from Paris, France, to Dakar in Senegal. This would become the rally’s definitive route for over 20 years - barring brief stints in Lisbon, Granada and Cape Town - until the event moved to South America in 2009 and, later, Saudi Arabia in 2020.
The rally’s existence is a direct result of the life-changing experience of Thierry Sabine, the French adventurer who got lost in the Tenere desert during the Abidjan-Nice Rally a few years prior. After being saved from the sweltering heat and unforgiving sands of the Sahara, Sabine returned to France with a passion to create a race unlike any other. One he would coin “a challenge for those who go, a dream for those who stay behind”.
Part adventure, part marathon, the Dakar Rally pits hundreds of drivers against one another in various vehicle categories such as cars, bikes, trucks, quads, SSVs, light prototypes, and classics.
Drivers are required to navigate a course and its unpredictable obstacles at speed, all while reaching each checkpoint en route to the finish line. GPS systems and the use of a roadbook are permitted, with mechanical knowledge essential for all competitors in case of punctures, breakdowns and other problems that could pose a threat to their respective times.
Where does the 2024 Dakar Rally take place?
The rally will take place in Saudi Arabia, with drivers beginning their journey in AlUla and finishing in Yanbu.
How long is the Dakar Rally?
The 2024 edition will begin with a prologue on January 5 and conclude on January 19 following 12 gruelling stages and one rest day. Drivers will cover a total distance of 7,891 kilometres, with 4,727 counting towards their timed totals.
Stage 6 will be a first for the Dakar Rally, with drivers set to compete in a timed 48-hour race. Competitors have until 4pm to reach one of eight bivouacs (temporary camps) for the night, where they will have just two hours to repair their vehicles before setting out at 7am the next morning.
Is every stage of the Dakar Rally the same?
Every stage of the Dakar is different except for the prologue, which mirrors the first stage but is contested to determine the starting order of the race proper.
Stages:
- Prologue on January 5: AlUla > Al Henakiyah = 532km total, 405km timed
- Stage 1 on January 6: AlUla > Al Henakiyah = 532km total, 405km timed
- Stage 2 on January 7: Al Henakiyah > Al Duwadimi = 662km total, 470km timed
- Stage 3 on January 8: Al Duwadimi > Al Salamiya = 733km total, 440km timed
- Stage 4 on January 9: Al Salamiya > Al-Hofuf = 631km total, 299km timed
- Stage 5 on January 10: Al-Hofuf > Shubaytah = 727km total, 118km timed
- Stage 6 on January 11 and 12: Shubaytah > Shubaytah (48-hour marathon stage) = 727km total, 532km timed
- Rest Day on January 13: Riyadh
- Stage 7 on January 14: Riyadh > Al Duwadimi = 873km total, 483km timed
- Stage 8 on January 15: Al Duwadimi > Ha’il = 678km total, 458km timed
- Stage 9 on January 16: Ha’il > AlUla = 639km total, 417km timed
- Stage 10 on January 17: AlUla > AlUla = 609km total, 371km timed
- Stage 11 on January 18: AlUla > Yanbu = 587km total, 480km timed
- Stage 12 on January 19: Yanbu > Yanbu = 328km total, 175km timed
How many drivers are involved in Dakar Rally 2024?
Over 770 drivers and teams will contest the 2024 Dakar Rally across eight categories: bike, quad, car, challenger, SSV, truck, M1000 and Classic.
Though bikes, quads, cars and trucks have formed part of the rally since its inception, the challenger (T3) and SSV (T4) categories were added in 2017 and were designed for off-road racing buggies.
Meanwhile, the M1000 category is for vehicles that use innovative technology, and the classics pertain to the vintage vehicles used in previous editions of the race.
WATCH via SBS On Demand
Retro Dakar Rally
How do you win the Dakar Rally?
The Dakar Rally is a marathon, not a sprint, with consistency the key to achieving victory.
Completing stages as quickly as possible will contribute to a driver’s overall time, with the general classification winner of each category determined at the end of Stage 12. As a result, securing stage wins are of particular interest to the field, though they do come with drawbacks as leaders can often veer in the wrong direction.
Drivers have GPS systems and a roadbook at their disposal, but they can also follow the wheel treads of their rivals to reach each waypoint.
Who are the most successful teams?
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing have led the way for the bikes with defending champion Kevin Benavides and two-time winner Toby Price among those in their ranks, while Peugeot, Mini and Volkswagen have all enjoyed time at the top.
Mitsubishi is the most successful, however, with 12 victories since 1985, though Toyota enter 2024 as current champions of the cars.
As for the quads, Yamaha have won every Dakar since 2009, with KAMAZ dominating the trucks category and Can-Am taking the title several times since T3 and T4s were added to the competition.
WATCH via SBS On Demand
Dakar Rally 2024 Hub
Are there any Australians competing?
Three Australian teams will compete in the 2024 edition; two in the bikes category and one in the cars. Price and Daniel Sanders will feature on two wheels, with rookie Glenn Brinkman entering the T3 competition alongside Australian navigator Dale Moscatt.
How can Australians watch the 2024 Dakar Rally?
SBS On Demand will have hour-long highlights of each stage available each morning for the duration of the Dakar Rally, before SBS relay the program at 5pm (AEDT).
On Demand will also house a special for the 2024 edition, complete with extended highlights, must-see moments, interviews and more.
