What will go down at the 2025 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia
A 7,700km rally route
The 2025 Dakar Rally will return to Saudi Arabia for the sixth consecutive year, promising an even more formidable challenge for competitors, both amateurs and elite rally raid champions.
Rally Director David Castera unveiled the specifics of the 47th Dakar Rally, which will occur from January 3-17, 2025. The event will include a prologue followed by 12 intense stages, offering competitors a variety of challenges, including the formidable 48-hour chrono stage, a marathon stage, and the pivotal test in the Empty Quarter before the rally finishes in Shubaytah.
The rally route will span approximately 7,700km, of which 5,100km are designated special stages.
In a significant change for 2025, five stages will feature separate courses for the FIM and FIA vehicles, covering 45% of the timed distance. This division will allow the motorbikes and cars to experience different terrains and obstacles, improving safety and creating a more level playing field.
Top competitors
W2RC champions Ross Branch and Nasser Al Attiyah are among the top competitors. With 340 entries across all categories, the competition promises to be fierce.
In addition to the main rally, the Dakar Classic will showcase a collection of 76 cars and 19 trucks from a bygone era, engaging in a regular race alongside the more modern vehicles. Moreover, the Mission 1000 Challenge will pit five high-tech vehicles against the demanding Saudi terrain, further highlighting Dakar’s commitment to innovation.
A new feature of the 2025 event is the Saudi Next Gen programme, which will provide a platform for emerging Saudi rally talents. This initiative will offer five hand-picked crews the chance to experience Dakar. The top-performing team will earn a ticket to the 2026 edition and a chance to compete in the Rallye du Maroc in October 2025.
The programme will kick off at the Baja Qassim, a long-established round of the Saudi Rally-Raid Championship. There, selected drivers will undergo extensive training sessions and tests, including full-scale rally-raid-style stages in the Yamaha YXZ 1000 R SSV.
48-hour chrono stage
The 2024 Dakar introduced the 48-hour chrono stage, a gruelling two-day segment in which competitors must shut down their engines after sunset and spend the night in essential rest areas in the heart of the Saudi desert. This unique challenge will return in 2025 with a more extreme design.
The 48-hour chrono stage, which will be held on the third day of the race, will cover 958km for the FIM participants and 917km for the FIA competitors. It promises to test the balance between speed and caution as participants push through various terrains while dealing with the exhausting physical and mental demands of racing in the desert.
On January 10, competitors will face a marathon stage leading into the rest day in Ha’il, a region considered the hub of cross-country rallying in Saudi Arabia.
Following the rest day, the rally’s second week will present even more significant challenges. Most of the remaining specials will be held on separate courses for motorbikes and cars. This new format reduces overtakes and improves safety while maintaining the race’s unpredictable nature.
Key navigation
Co-drivers will navigate without the aid of tracks left by the motorbikes, and cars will hit the course first thing at dawn. This will significantly reduce the risk of driving in the dunes after nightfall.
The 2025 Dakar finale will see a mass start at the start of the penultimate stage, which will lead to a dramatic loop around Shubaytah. The final stretch will be an actual test of endurance as the competitors race through the vast sands of the Empty Quarter, a fitting conclusion to a race that will have taken them across many terrain types.
The grand finale will be held in the heart of the bivouac, a historic moment that will add to Dakar’s allure.
The 2025 Dakar Rally is a skill, stamina, and strategy test. Competitors worldwide will take on the Saudi desert in one of the world’s most challenging motorsport events.
The Saudi Next Gen programme will also ensure the next generation of rally champions gets their first taste of this legendary race, with eyes on the future of the sport in the region. The road to Shubaytah may be long, but the adventure for every entrant is sure to be unforgettable.
Hero image: Rally Director David Castera unveils the specifics of the 47th Dakar Rally. Credit: A.S.O.
