The Dakar rally is a test riddled with contradictions. Most of its participants are nature lovers, although they know that the ecological footprint of the race on the environment is indelible. “As much as I like this sport, I cannot deny that it needs changes. My opinion is that we can continue practicing it and make it cleaner,” acknowledges its director, former French pilot David Castera, in conversation with Morning Express. His vision on caring for the environment and sustainability is surprisingly honest. “In this you cannot be 100% respectful, but between nothing and what is spent and consumed now in the world we can find a balance,” he argues.
The toughest and most famous rally on the planet continues to take steps towards a kind of useful utopia in terms of sustainability. Although it can never be a test without impact on the environment, there is a lot of room to work on minimizing its consequences. In the 2025 edition, for example, the Spanish energy company Repsol has achieved four stage victories with the official Toyota team using a mix of 70% renewable fuels. Although it is not in writing, the commitment of ASO, the promoter of the Dakar, is to achieve the use of 100% renewable biofuels in the main categories of cars and motorcycles next year.
The Portuguese Joao Ferreira, ranked eighth overall with a Mini, has completed the 5,000 kilometers of specials in Saudi Arabia with a 100% renewable diesel that is already in more than 800 gas stations on the peninsula, proof that the technology is already on par with fossil fuels in range and performance. “The problem of climate change lies in the increase in CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, and therefore we need technologies that do not emit or achieve a net zero balance in carbon dioxide emissions,” explains Dolores Cárdenas, design advisor for the Repsol Technology Lab. “We must be clear and say that this renewable fuel continues to emit CO2, there is an emission in the exhaust pipe, but with the big difference that that same amount has been previously captured by the vegetables we use to produce it, in the case of biofuels using biomass waste,” develops this scientist.
Isidre Esteve has been using this solution since 2021, and remains amazed to think that chemical components and contaminants such as ethanol are now replaced by vine waste, which until now was useless. Even used cooking oil goes into the mix. “You can always be a little more sustainable,” Carlos Sainz acknowledged last year, just before making Audi the first brand to win the Dakar with a hybrid vehicle.
“The combustion vehicle is not the problem, but the fuel. It is being demonstrated that biofuels and synthetic fuels can contribute to decarbonization, with the advantage that they adapt perfectly to existing engines and refueling infrastructure,” Cárdenas illustrates.
Beyond solving environmental pollution from vehicles, the rally faces the enormous challenge of reducing the footprint of a caravan that moves more than 3,500 people daily. From 2020 until now, the mere fact of trying to properly recycle all the waste generated by the more than 9,000 daily servings of food has been a challenge met at times. “We have a clear objective and date: in 2030 we want a low-emission Dakar for the entire bivouac,” concludes the director of the event.
How to solve the unsustainability of the three planes and five helicopters a day that are used to transport personnel and ensure the safety of the pilots, for example, is a problem without an answer for now.
