Dakar | Here are the main contenders for victory among cars

The 2024 Dakar will be the fifth consecutive event to take place entirely in Saudi Arabia, but organizer ASO has defined a very different route from previous years.

One of the highlights of this year's challenge is a two-day “time trial” stage, where competitors will have until 4pm to cover as many kilometers as possible before stopping at the next bivouac they come across. The following morning, at 7 am, they will set off again to be the first to reach the finish line, covering a timed distance of almost 600 km. To add to the difficulty, no assistance from the teams will be allowed during the night, under the rules of the “marathon stage”, meaning that riders will have to fend for themselves in case of technical problems.

But perhaps even more interesting is the change of colors for five-time winner Nasser Al-Attiyah, who moves to Prodrive after a long period at Toyota. Al-Attiyah has always been a well-known figure in cross-country rallying and the success he has achieved in the Dakar since the rally moved to Saudi Arabia in 2020 has elevated him among the most successful drivers ever in the discipline. His move could determine Toyota and Prodrive's results this year, as well as those of their competitors.

We analyze the prospects of all the main manufacturers who will participate in the 45th edition of the most famous rally-raid in the world.

Prodrive

In recent years Prodrive has shown that it has what it takes to be a serious competitor and 2024 represents its best chance to finally claim victory with the Hunter T1+. With Al-Attiyah leading its attack, Prodrive can boast a range of cars equal to that of Audi, but without having to deal with an overly complicated hybrid system.

Al-Attiyah has already completed two events with the Hunter buggy and, given that he has won the Dakar with three different manufacturers, you can count on the Qatari driver to adapt without problems to a vehicle very different from the one he drove during his time at Toyota.

Complementing Al-Attiyah's efforts will be nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb, who continues to seek a first Dakar victory after seven failed attempts. In 2023, Loeb made an incredible comeback after an early setback, winning a record six consecutive stages during the middle portion of the event, only to finish behind Al-Attiyah. With fewer punctures and better overall reliability, Loeb should be a serious contender for victory this year, when he makes his final appearance with the Bahrain Raid Xtreme before joining Dacia in 2025 alongside Al-Attiyah.

Five more Prodrive-built Hunters will take part in this year's event under different banners, although French Guerlain driver Chicherit – who won two stages last year – will not be part of the team's line-up this year.

Toyota

Photo by: Toyota

Toyota Gazoo Racing DKR Hilux EVO T1U

Although Toyota will lose “power” in 2024 following Al-Attiyah's departure, it would be wrong to exclude it from the fight, especially considering it is expanding its presence to five factory cars.

Leading the charge will be 2009 winner Giniel de Villiers, the only member of Toyota's 2023 lineup who has been retained by the Japanese manufacturer. The South African has finished in the top five on all but two occasions since he joined Toyota in 2012 and this year has the chance to step out of Al-Attiyah's shadow and repeat his success.

De Villiers will be joined at Toyota by Lucas Moraes, who surprised everyone on his debut in 2023 by finishing third, behind Al-Attiyah and Loeb, in a Hilux operated by Overdrive. Considering how impressive he was in a customer car, Moraes will certainly be one to watch after a well-deserved promotion from the factory ranks.

Seth Quintero, who won the T3 class of the World Rally-Raid Championship last year, will move up to the higher class this year, while Guy Botterill and Saood Variawa will be making their first appearance in the Dakar. Variawa will be just 18 when he lines up on the starting line in Al-'Ula this Friday, making him one of the youngest official drivers in the history of rally-raid.

Toyota will participate in this year's Dakar with an updated version of the proven Hilux pick-up. As well as being 100mm wider than its predecessor, it features an updated suspension system and a new cooling package, with the climate control system repositioned for greater efficiency.

Audi

Photo by: Audi Communications Motorsport

Audi RS Q e-tron

For the third consecutive year, Audi will continue to field the same driver line-up, with the aim of recovering from the disappointment of 2023 and making a real assault on overall victory. This shouldn't surprise anyone, as Stephane Peterhansel, Carlos Sainz Sr, and Mattias Ekstrom are all proven talents, each with impressive resumes.

Peterhansel, of course, is the most successful competitor in Dakar history, while four-time winner Sainz has shown no signs of slowing down since entering his 60s. Ekstrom, however, transferred his speed from circuit racing and rallycross to this discipline and was the only Audi driver to finish in 2023, after Peterhansel and Sainz withdrew from rallying for different reasons.

Together, the trio should be able to compete for victory, as long as the Audi RS Q e-tron proves fast and reliable in equal measure.

For its part, Audi has worked hard to revamp the car after the disappointing result in 2023. This year, of course, could be Audi's last foray into the Dakar, if the German manufacturer decides to pull the plug to his last official program to focus on his Formula 1 project with Sauber, which will start in 2026.

As part of the overhaul, almost all components of the car were revised, from the software to the chassis. For starters, the springs and shock absorbers have been updated to improve balance, while design changes have also been made to reduce the chances of stones getting stuck between the struts, brake calipers and wheels. A significant weight reduction exercise was also undertaken, bringing the car closer to the minimum weight limit of 2,100kg.

Ford

Photo by: M-Sport

M-Sport NWM Ford Ranger T1+

This year Ford will participate in the Dakar Rally in an official capacity to challenge current participants Prodrive, Toyota and Audi.

2024 will only be an exploratory effort for the American brand, which will enter the field with an updated version of the Ranger built by South African company Neil Woolridge Motorsport. Only next year will Ford Performance build a completely new, Dakar-specific Ranger, alongside NWM and M-Sport.

But that doesn't mean Ford's efforts shouldn't be taken into account, especially since the involvement of the American manufacturer and its WRC partner, M-Sport, could threaten the existing order.

Ford has also signed 2014 winner Nani Roma to lead the programme, while South African Gareth Woolridge will drive the other works Ranger. Martin Prokop, who took a solid sixth place in a Ford Raptor last year, will also drive a customer-run Ranger in this year's edition.

The others

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

#203 X-Raid Mini JCW Team Mini: Jakub Przygonski, Armand Monleon

In addition to the four big names mentioned above, you can expect several other teams to be knocking on the door of a top 10 finish. X-Raid Mini, once a Dakar giant, will return with three cars for the former European rally champion Krzysztof Hołowczyc, the Lithuanian driver Vaidotas Zala and the 19 year old Pau Navarro.

Brian Baragwanath and Mathieu Serradori have regularly shuffled between the leaders with the Century Racing Team and the duo will again be keen to seize any opportunities presented by the front runners.

Also worth keeping an eye on is two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Romain Dumas, who returns with Rebellion Racing, driving the same Hilux T1+ as the official team. The powerful Overdrive team have also made the most of the Toyotas in recent years and could once again be in contention for stage wins, especially with home favorite Yazeed Al-Rajhi.