Renew or die, the Dakar changes classics. In its 47th edition, sixth in Saudi Arabia, the most legendary and media rally that starts this Friday with a prologue stage (29 km, Bisha-Bisha) will not have the participation of one of its icons, Stéphane Peterhansel, Monsieur Dakar –which has preferred to switch to the competition, the Africa Eco Race–, nor the competition of the car champion, Audi Sport –which has left the off road –.
But it presents a new high-level duel to establish an era: the four-way fight between the debutant Dacia, with a stellar trio of drivers (Nasser Al Attiyah, Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez), the powerful Ford project with another luxury triangle (Carlos Sainz, Nani Roma and Mattias Ekström), the solid proposal of Toyota (with Lucas Moraes and Seth Quintero), and the Mini team (with the current runner-up Guillaume De Mévius and Guerlain Chicherit).
invisible threat
The 47th edition of the rally starts today with a flu outbreak in the bivouac that has knocked down several competitors
In short, a renewed line-up of cars, driven by old enemies, which increases the attractiveness of a race that the organization (ASO) promises to be tougher, with more dunes and more navigation, over 5,115 timed km spread over 13 days, from the 29km Bisha prologue and the 12th and final stage of Shubaytah on January 17.
In this Dakar of maximum equality at the starting box, the proper name is that of Carlos Sainz, who at 62 years old is defending his title and will seek to expand his collection of Tuaregs with the fifth, with the fifth different brand. An unprecedented milestone. The Madrid native, for whom the years do not pass in his physical form and ambition, trusts in the potential of the new Ford Raptor T1+, despite his youth and debut in the Dakar (in 2024, Ford raced with the Ranger T1+) .
“In the first year of a project, no matter how many tests you do, you always pay that the car does not have the kilometers and experience that others have. But I trust that there is more equality than ever. It’s going to be quite even between Toyota, Dacia, Mini and us, and it’s going to be a very entertaining Dakar,” predicts Sainz, who ventures as the key to success “the tactics and strategy of not opening the track in the 48-hour stage. Furthermore, this year there will be five special stages in which there will be no motorcycles in front [con recorridos diferentes]”.
Indeed, it will be a Dakar with a very tough first week, of elimination, “as if it were a second week” – said Al Attiyah –: the third day awaits a two-day stage, the dreaded 48 hours Chrono (January 5 and 6 ), in which competitors must travel 947 km, stopping at 5:00 p.m. to spend the night in one of the six areas set up in the desert, without assistance or communication; and two days later (January 8), the marathon stage, without mechanical assistance when reaching the finish line.
“In those stages something is going to happen, for sure. You have no assistance, you have no one, and that is why it is so important to go through kilometers without problems, and above all to reach the first part without mishaps,” said Sainz, who once again has co-pilot Lucas Cruz on his right.
Sébastien Loeb debuts with Dacia in his ninth Dakar
His two main rivals for the Tuareg are now teammates, Al Attiyah and Loeb, at the controls of the Dacia Sandrider, debutant in the Dakar – although with the mechanical heritage of the Hunters. Despite its youth, the French car is a serious contender, since in October it debuted in the rally-raids with a double for Nasser and Séb in Morocco.
The Qatari, who is looking for his sixth Tuareg after abandoning last year, was confident in his sense of smell, as the current rally-raid world champion, and in the Sandrider’s possibilities. “We are on the right track and we have dedicated a lot of time to testing, so we have everything we need to win the Dakar, but we will have to be smart,” Nasser prescribed.
Nasser Al-Attiyah will drive a Dacia Sandrider in the Dakar 2025
The Dacias and the Fords, with seven great drivers, steal the spotlight, but the ones hidden may be the official Toyota Hilux, both for their proven reliability from so many years of experience and for their successes (they have won three of the last six editions, all with Al Attiyah). The Japanese cars developed by Gazoo have two of the most talented young people, the Brazilian Lucas Moraes (9th in 2024 and 3rd in 2023), guided by Armand Monleon, and the American Seth Quintero, in addition to the incombustible De Villiers with the South African team.
The Spanish participation in the four wheels is completed with Isidre Esteve, Laia Sanz, Nandu Jubany; in the Challenger category, Eduard Pons, the young Pau Navarro, Joan Font and the veteran Xavi Foj; and in SSV (light vehicles), the tireless Gerard Farrés stands out.
Nani Roma faces his 28th Dakar
The Dakar 2025, which starts this Friday (at 5:45 Spanish time, the motorcycles; at 8:55 a.m., the cars), did so with a flu outbreak in the camp, which has affected several competitors, including Eduard Pons , the world champion of Low Category Challenger.
motorcycle category
Honda against KTM and Hero
After the long rivalry between Marc Coma and Cyril Despres (2005-15, with five victories for each), the Tuareg motorcycle rider has not found an absolute dominator. The title has been shared for the last nine years between five drivers, four of them have repeated, Sam Sunderland, Toby Price, Kevin Benavides, and the current champion, Ricky Brabec. Without the Price-Sunderland brothers-in-law (now in cars), the American is the favorite, heading a powerful official Honda structure with Pablo Quintanilla, Skyler Howes, Adrien Van Beveren and the Valencian Tosha Schareina, who had to abandon the last edition in the first stage by fall. Up front, KTM presents a luxury line-up: brothers Kevin and Luciano Benavides, Daniel Sanders and the young Catalan Edgar Canet. The third team in contention, Hero, bets on the world raid champion Ross Branch, José Ignacio Cornejo and Sebastian Bühler.
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