The Dakar rally is one of the most iconic events in the world of sport, but that does not mean it stops reinventing itself. The 2025 edition, the sixth to be held in Saudi Arabia, between January 3 and 17, introduces several new features with an eye on competitiveness and spectacle. Constant advances in the motor industry mean that the race’s bar is increasingly raised among the select group that competes for glory in the main categories, and forces its director to look for creative solutions to include those participants who have fewer resources, which are precisely the majority.
The solution to this dichotomy is resolved with five stages with different routes for cars and motorcycles, a novelty that achieves three objectives in one go. “Both categories will be able to start together, and this way we allow the amateurs, who are the last to start, to not arrive so late at night,” explains David Castera, director of the Dakar, in conversation with several Spanish media. “Another consequence is that the cars will have to navigate much more, since they will not have the tracks of the motorcycles to guide them. This will also improve safety for the motorcycles, which will not have to eat the dust or have problems with the fastest vehicles,” adds the head of the test.
The route of the 47th edition of the toughest rally on the planet will start in Bisha, in the southwest of the country, and will end in what has been the main attraction of recent editions, the Rub Al Khali desert, in the southeast corner of the territory. The final day will include a mass start as in the days of the pink lake, one of the measures suggested by the pilots to increase the spectacle. Specifically, Cristina Gutiérrez, who debuts with a cutting-edge prototype with the French Dacia, was the one who encouraged Castera to recover this tradition from the past. “I am happy to see Cristina at this level, with a car that she can win. There are also Sarah Price and Laia Sainz. We already saw it in the past, for example, with Michèle Mouton in the WRC: women have the capacity to win, and we are going to push and be behind them to help them in this adventure,” celebrates the 53-year-old former French driver and co-driver. .
Recent successful formats, such as the ’48h Chrono’ and the marathon stage, will remain within the route, of which some details still need to be polished. “Finishing in Shubaytah is not easy, but we want to give it this touch, I like the idea of being in the middle of the desert, with a more modest bivouac, without so many amenities, following the original spirit of the rally,” says Castera. The director advances that none of the specials will be less than 350 kilometers in distance, including the marathon from bivouac to bivouac, without links or the possibility of cheating during the parc ferme regime for vehicles.
The person mainly responsible for the design of the route, who always listens to the opinions of the drivers, affirms that they have found a good balance in terms of the level of difficulty of the rally. The runners are also satisfied. “That it is difficult is one thing, but as long as it is fair and not a poker game…” Carlos Sainz, who will seek his fifth Dakar with Ford at the age of 62, told him during a recent call. The new route is the product of more than two months of work on the ground and at the drawing table, consulting maps and other cartographic elements, making endless calculations. The precision of the road book, the holy grail of competitors, has also made it possible to raise the level of the test to new heights. “Now we are seven people working on the roadbook, and we were not wrong,” highlights Castera.
Regarding continuity in Saudi Arabia, which has provided unprecedented financial resources and stability to the Dakar, the director recognizes the desire to expand the event to other neighboring countries. “If we do it, it will be to grow and improve the sport,” he says. He can’t say anything more, although they have been working on it for years without success. Saudi petrodollars are essential, but they also come with certain restrictions. The varied and exotic landscapes, and the few population centers, allow for now to continue giving a twist to the race without leaving the Arabian kingdom.
You can follow Morning Express Deportes in Facebook and xor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.