The route and entrants for the Dakar 2023 detailed

Who says end of year, says Dakar! The most famous and prestigious rally-raid du monde will resume its rights from December 31 to January 15, in Saudi Arabia. Present for the 4th consecutive time in the Middle East, the Dakar will be contested over 14 stages (and a prologue), for a total of 8 kilometers of route (including 549 kilometers of special). The ASO revealed the details of the 4th edition this Thursday, with a departure from Sea Camp and an arrival in Dammam.

Four loops and a marathon stage

Although they have been familiar with the shores of the Red Sea since 2020, the competitors will for the first time be brought together for the entire period of checks on an XXL bivouac. They will then enter the truly sporting part by returning to the already familiar sites of AlUla, Ha'il or Riyadh, then will spend four days in the still unexplored desert of the Empty Quarter. “A gigantic area where sand is king, particularly in its most majestic form, the dune”, insists David Castera, director of the Dakar. Sand will indeed be the predominant ingredient of the menu, the dessert of which will also be served on a beach, in Dammam, this time on the shores of the Arabian Gulf. On the route, there are four loops and a marathon stage scheduled at the end of the rally (stages 11-12).

820 competitors at the start of the 2023 Dakar

In Saudi Arabia, 820 competitors will be at the start on December 31 at Sea Camp, according to the latest official list. Among them, there will be 634 drivers/co-drivers on the Dakar and 188 drivers/co-drivers on the Dakar Classic. 125 motorcycles, 93 buggies, 73 cars, 56 trucks and 19 quads are registered for this 45th edition of the rally-raid, where 68 nationalities will be represented.

Among the favorites, among the motorcycles, we will find the KTMs of Kevin Benavides and Matthias Walkner, the GasGas of the title holder Sam Sunderland and his teammate Dany Sanders, the Hondas of Adrien Van Beveren, Ricky Brabec or Pablo Quintanilla, even the Skyler Howes' Husqvarna or Lorenzo Santolino's Sherco.

Among the cars, it will also be the test of truth for the Audis with hybrid engines of Stéphane Peterhansel, Carlos Sainz and Mattias Ekström determined to attack the title that Nasser Al Attiyah will defend as leader of the Toyota in the company of Yazeed Al Rajhi and Giniel De Villiers, while the BRX of Sébastien Loeb, Guerlain Chicherit and Orly Terranova also seem equipped to battle at the top. The 2023 Dakar will also mark the start of the second season of the World Rally Raid Championships (W2RC).

The route of the Dakar 2023: 

© ASO

Details of the Dakar 2023 route: 

© ASO

The list of entrants for the 2023 Dakar can be found here.

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