The world’s most grueling rally is returning to Saudi Arabia, promising to be another tough edition with a few changes. Stretching from Bisha to Shubaytah across 14 days and 12 punishing stages, the upcoming race will feature a more demanding 48h chrono stage, at least five stages with separate courses for bikes and trucks, more sand, a mass start and a three day battle in the Empty Quarter.

Ahead of the prologue, base camp will be set up in Bisha, away from any urban centers. In line with the tradition of staying there for the first few days of the rally, the finish line of the prologue will be right in the heart of the bivouac marking the first time that a stop point is placed next to the podium.

A Souped-Up 48H Chrono

The concept of a long stage divided between two days in which the competitors have to spend the night in one of several bare-bones bivouacs scattered across the desert amped up the drama and chaos among the title contenders when it debuted in the last edition.

A souped-up version of the same idea is returning for the 2025 edition, now clocking in at 950 km (up from 540 km in 2024) and on more varied terrain alternating fast and technical sections. The riders and crews will face this challenge in the opening week. There will be plenty of opportunities to open up a gap, and not just in the dunes.

New Separate Courses

At least five stages of the 2025 Dakar will take place on separate courses in order to reduce the number of times that cars have to overtake the bikes and similar situations. In addition to boosting safety, this places car crews at the front of the field and forces them to navigate without the benefit of the riders’ tracks. The specials will get going as soon as the sun peeks over the horizon, ensuring that the FIA specials can take place entirely during the day and limiting late arrivals in the bivouac. Last but not least, the truckers will also have their own separate course in one of the stages held in the Empty Quarter.

Empty Quarter

The gateway to the vast desert of the Empty Quarter has returned for the last two editions as the base camp for a more daring exploration of this sea of dunes. This time round, Shubaytah will mark the end of the adventure, much like a beacon leading the competitors to the exit after a three-day battle among dunes, including a special stretching for more than 400 km. 

Notably, the finale will see the return of a mass start where cars and riders will share the limelight with the seemingly never-ending expanse of sand. For those old enough to remember, this is sure to bring back memories of the early days of the race in Africa.

Marathon Stage

The riders and crews will be left without their service teams on two occasions. A traditional marathon stage will join the “48h chrono “, with a dedicated bivouac that will be off limits to the usual mechanical crews. Keeping the machines in one piece over a distance of more than 800 km will be the name of the game for both the top contenders and amateurs who want to win the coveted “finisher” status.  

No Quads

As we reported earlier this year, this will be the first time after more than 30 years that the Dakar will not feature a quad class, leaving the FIM category with only two-wheelers. This decision follows years of dwindling manufacturer support in the quad category as their interest shifted more to side-by-side vehicles.

“We have decided to stop the quad category next year in ‘25, because we are going to focus more on bikes,” added Dakar Rally Director, David Castera. “We have many, many demands from competitors and we want to focus more on bikes. We have few quads now, there is no manufacturer to support all the competitors, so that’s why we are going to stop it for the moment.” 

Dakar Classic

As time goes by, what once felt new recedes into the rose-tinted mist of nostalgia. As a result, it is only natural for a new generation of “vintage” vehicles to burst onto the scene of the Dakar Classic four years after the launch of this regularity race. From now on, the competition will be open to cars and trucks registered between 2000 and 2005. Among the debutants in 2025 could be the Mitsubishi Pajero that Stéphane Peterhansel drove in his first triumph in the car category in 2004, or perhaps the Bowler in which Guerlain Chicherit and Mathieu Baumel made their first appearance in 2005. 

Sadly, no announcement about classic motorcycles making an appearance was made.

The 47th edition of the Dakar Rally will be held from January 3, 2025 to January 17, 2025. We’ll report back as more details on the race unfold.

Photos by ASOS, Charly Lopez/DPPI and HRC.