Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally is the toughest race you can enter with a motorcycle, car, truck or side-by-side. For about two weeks, crews cover thousands of kilometers of desert and rocks, finding their way with a roadbook instead of a track map. It started in 1978 as a race from Paris to Dakar, moved to South America in 2009 and to Saudi Arabia in 2020, and the 2027 edition is being moved again, this time to Morocco. Here’s what you’ll want to know: the 2027 plans, the latest winners in every class, the stories people still talk about, how the rules work, and the makes and drivers who’ve won it most.
Dakar Rally at a Glance
First edition 1978–79 Paris to Dakar: 182 starters, 74 finishers
Format Prologue + 12–13 stages about two weeks, with one rest day
Classes Bikes, Ultimate, Stock, Challenger, SSV, Trucks plus Dakar Classic and Mission 1000
2026 winners Al-Attiyah (cars), L. Benavides (bikes) Dacia Sandrider and KTM 450 Rally
Next edition January 9–22, 2027 reported move to Morocco; official route pending
Record Stéphane Peterhansel, 14 wins six on bikes, eight in cars
Dakar Rally 2027: Dates and Route
The Dakar doesn’t have a season calendar of its own. It’s one long race a year, held in January, and it’s the opening round of the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). The 49th Dakar was announced in May 2026 for January 1–15, 2027, with a record 5,320 km (3,306 mi) of timed stages in Saudi Arabia. That plan has been overtaken by events: on October 19, 2026, organizer ASO told teams the rally is leaving Saudi Arabia because of the security situation in the region.
According to Reuters and several European outlets, the 2027 Dakar will now run January 9–22, with a prologue in Spain or Portugal and the rest of the route in Morocco. That would make it the first Dakar on African soil since 2007. As of October 25, 2026, ASO hadn’t published the new route, so treat the right-hand column below as reported, not final. We’ll update this page when the official route is out.
The 2027 Dakar: original plan vs. reported new plan
| Original plan (announced May 2026) | Reported new plan (October 2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | January 1–15, 2027 | January 9–22, 2027 (prologue January 9) |
| Where | Start and finish at King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia | Prologue in Spain or Portugal, then a ferry to Morocco for the rest of the rally |
| Route | 13 stages, nine of them over 400 km (249 mi); two marathon stages; rest day in Bisha | Prologue plus 12 stages, one marathon stage, rest day on January 16; Merzouga named as the sporting hub |
| Distance | 5,320 km (3,306 mi) of timed specials, the longest of the Saudi era | About 4,900 km (3,045 mi) in total |
| Status | Replaced | TBA: awaiting the official route |
2027 World Rally-Raid Championship
| Round | Dates | Event | Venue | Country | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 9–22 (reported; announced as January 1–15) | Dakar Rally | Dakar Rally route (Morocco, reported) | Morocco (reported) | TBA |
| 2 | March 21–26 | Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge | Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge | United Arab Emirates | Upcoming |
| 3 | June 14–19 | South African Safari Rally | South African Safari Rally | South Africa | Upcoming |
| 4 | September 21–26 | BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal | BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal | Portugal | Upcoming |
| 5 | October 24–29 | Rallye du Maroc | Rallye du Maroc | Morocco | Upcoming |
How the 2026 W2RC season is wrapping up
Four of the five 2026 rounds are done. The world titles will be decided at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, November 22–27, 2026.
| Date | Event | Venue | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 3–17 | Dakar Rally | Dakar Rally route (Saudi Arabia) | Done |
| March 17–22 | BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal | BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal | Done |
| May 24–29 | Desafío Ruta 40 | Desafío Ruta 40 | Done |
| September 28–October 3 | Rallye du Maroc | Rallye du Maroc | Done |
| November 22–27 | Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (finale) | Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge | Upcoming |
Dakar Rally Winners: 2026
The 48th Dakar ran January 3–17, 2026, starting and finishing in Yanbu on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast. Of 321 entries, 242 made it to the end. Every category crowns its own winner, and the crews below are the reigning Dakar champions heading into 2027. Quads are gone: the class was dropped for 2025 after manufacturer support dried up.
Overall car winner
Cars (Ultimate)
Dacia Sandrider Al-Attiyah / Lurquin
Nasser Al-Attiyah took the lead on stage 6 and won by 9 min 42 s over Nani Roma’s Ford Raptor. It’s his sixth Dakar win and the first for Dacia, in only its second Dakar.
Overall bike winner
Bikes
KTM 450 Rally Luciano Benavides
Benavides started the final stage 3 min 20 s behind Ricky Brabec’s Honda and won by two seconds when Brabec got lost in the last sector. It’s the closest finish in Dakar history and KTM’s 21st win.
Truck winner
Trucks
Iveco Powerstar Vaidotas Žala
Lithuania’s Vaidotas Žala, with Paulo Fiuza and Max van Grol, won for Nørdis Team De Rooy as Iveco crews took first and second. Only 22 of the 46 trucks that started reached the finish.
Side-by-side winner
SSV
Polaris RZR Pro R Brock Heger
American Brock Heger and Max Eddy won five stages and took the class by about an hour over Kyle Chaney’s Can-Am. The photo shows the production RZR Pro R the race car is based on.
2026 Dakar winners in every class
| Class | Winner(s) | Team | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars (Ultimate) | Nasser Al-Attiyah / Fabian Lurquin | The Dacia Sandriders | Dacia Sandrider |
| Stock | Rokas Baciuška / Oriol Vidal | Defender Rally | Defender Dakar D7X-R (Land Rover) |
| Challenger (T3) | Pau Navarro / Jan Rosa | BBR Motorsport | Taurus T3 Max |
| SSV (T4) | Brock Heger / Max Eddy | RZR Factory Racing (Loeb Fraymedia Motorsport) | Polaris RZR Pro R |
| Trucks | Vaidotas Žala / Paulo Fiuza / Max van Grol | Nørdis Team De Rooy FPT | Iveco Powerstar |
| Bikes | Luciano Benavides | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM 450 Rally |
| Bikes, Rally2 | Toni Mulec | — | KTM |
| Dakar Classic | Karolis Raišys / Christophe Marques | Ovoko Racing | Land Rover Defender |
| Mission 1000 | Jordi Juvanteny / José Luis Criado / Xavier Ribas | KH7-Ecovergy | MAN TGA truck |
Reigning world champions
The Dakar is also round one of the World Rally-Raid Championship. The 2026 titles are still being decided, so these are the current world champions, crowned at the 2025 Rallye du Maroc. Lucas Moraes won the Ultimate title on the final stage after Nasser Al-Attiyah picked up a late time penalty.
| Title | Champion | Team / note |
|---|---|---|
| Ultimate drivers | Lucas Moraes | Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC; first Brazilian world champion |
| Ultimate co-drivers | Édouard Boulanger | The Dacia Sandriders |
| Ultimate manufacturers | Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC | Toyota GR DKR Hilux |
| Challenger | Nicolás Cavigliasso / Valentina Pertegarini | Argentina |
| SSV | Alexandre Pinto / Bernardo Oliveira | Old Friends Rally Team |
| RallyGP riders | Daniel Sanders | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
| RallyGP manufacturers | KTM | — |
| Rally2 riders | Edgar Canet | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
| Rally3 riders | Thomas Zoldos | Aub’Moto |
Dakar Rally History
The Dakar began as an adventure for amateurs and turned into a proving ground for factory teams, but it never lost the part where anyone can enter and almost anything can go wrong. It has also moved more than any other big race. It ran in Africa through 2007, in South America from 2009 to 2019 and in Saudi Arabia from 2020 to 2026. The city of Dakar hasn’t been the finish since 2007, but the name stuck.
- 1978–79 Thierry Sabine, who had once been lost in the Ténéré desert, runs the first Paris–Dakar. It leaves Paris in December 1978 with 182 starters; 74 reach Dakar. Cyril Neveu wins on a Yamaha and Alain Génestier in a Range Rover.
- 1986 Sabine dies in a helicopter crash during the rally. His father, Gilbert, takes over the organization.
- 1987–1990 Peugeot wins four in a row with the 205 and 405 Turbo 16 Grand Raid, three of them with Ari Vatanen.
- 1992 The rally runs all the way to Cape Town, South Africa, and Hubert Auriol becomes the first to win in both bikes and cars.
- 2001 Jutta Kleinschmidt becomes the first woman to win the car category, starting Mitsubishi’s run of seven straight wins.
- 2001–2019 KTM wins every bike category held, 18 in a row.
- 2008 The rally is cancelled the day before the start in Lisbon because of security threats in Mauritania.
- 2009 The Dakar moves to Argentina and Chile. Volkswagen’s diesel Race Touareg wins with Giniel de Villiers.
- 2012–2015 Mini wins four straight, two of them with Stéphane Peterhansel.
- 2016–2018 Peugeot returns and wins three in a row with its 2008 and 3008 DKR buggies.
- 2020 The rally moves to Saudi Arabia. Carlos Sainz wins in cars, and Ricky Brabec ends KTM’s streak for Honda.
- 2021 Peterhansel wins for the 14th time, and the Dakar Classic for older cars and trucks begins.
- 2022 The World Rally-Raid Championship launches with the Dakar as its first round, and Audi arrives with the electric-drive RS Q e-tron.
- 2024 Audi and Sainz win, the first electrified Dakar winner. The Mission 1000 class for alternative-energy vehicles debuts.
- 2025 Quads are dropped. Yazeed Al-Rajhi becomes the first Saudi to win the car category, in a Toyota Hilux.
- 2026 Al-Attiyah wins for the sixth time and gives Dacia its first victory. Luciano Benavides wins the bikes by two seconds.
- 2027 ASO tells teams the rally is leaving Saudi Arabia. A move to Morocco is reported, with the official route still to come.
Memorable Stories From the Dakar
Every Dakar produces a few stories, usually involving sand, broken parts and somebody getting lost. Here are the ones you’ll hear most when rally-raid fans get together.
1988
The stolen Peugeot
Peugeot 405 T16 Ari Vatanen
Defending winner Ari Vatanen was leading when his Peugeot 405 disappeared in Bamako, Mali, and the thieves demanded a ransom. The car turned up, but too late for him to rejoin, and teammate Juha Kankkunen won instead.
2001
The first woman to win
Mitsubishi Pajero Jutta Kleinschmidt
Germany’s Jutta Kleinschmidt and co-driver Andreas Schulz won the car category in a Mitsubishi Pajero. She’s still the only woman to win it, and her win started a Mitsubishi streak that lasted through 2007.
2008–2009
Exile to South America
Cancelled Argentina & Chile
A day before the 2008 start in Lisbon, organizers called off the whole rally over security threats in Mauritania. A year later the Dakar reappeared in Argentina and Chile, and it stayed in South America for 11 editions.
2020
KTM’s streak ends
Honda CRF450 Rally Ricky Brabec
KTM had won 18 Dakars in a row on bikes. In the first Saudi edition, Ricky Brabec ended that run for Honda, its first Dakar win since 1989 and the first ever for an American rider.
2024
Electric drive wins the Dakar
Audi RS Q e-tron Carlos Sainz
Audi’s RS Q e-tron drove its wheels with electric motors and used a gas engine to recharge the battery on the move. In its third try, Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz won, giving Sainz his fourth Dakar at 61 and the rally its first electrified winner.
2026
Won by two seconds
KTM vs. Honda Final stage
Ricky Brabec started the last day 3 min 20 s ahead of Luciano Benavides. Then he got lost in the final sector. Benavides won by two seconds, the closest finish the Dakar has ever had, and joined his brother Kevin as a Dakar winner.
Want a couple more? Stéphane Peterhansel’s 14 wins, six on Yamaha bikes and eight in cars for Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Mini, earned him the nickname “Mr. Dakar.” And in 2025 Yazeed Al-Rajhi became the first Saudi driver to win the car category, on home ground.
Dakar Rally Rules
The Dakar is several races sharing one route. Bikes usually head out first each morning, then the cars, side-by-sides and trucks, and each class is timed separately. Here’s how it works under the current rules. When the original 2027 route was presented, organizers also said crews would get less route information ahead of each stage, so expect navigation to count for even more.
The classes
RallyGP and Rally2
Bikes
Motorcycles are limited to 450 cc. RallyGP is for the elite factory riders, and Rally2 covers everyone else. Riders navigate and fix their bikes themselves during the stage, and they have to wear airbag vests.
The top car class
Ultimate (T1)
Prototype 4x4s and buggies with gas, diesel, hybrid or electric power. The FIA balances them with weight, power and fuel-flow adjustments so different designs can compete. This is where Dacia, Toyota and Ford fight for the overall win.
Production-based cars and light prototypes
Stock and Challenger
Stock is for cars that stay close to a production model, like the Defender that won in 2026. Challenger (T3) is for lightweight prototypes and is a common step up for young drivers.
Production-based side-by-sides
SSV (T4)
Turbocharged machines from makers like Polaris and Can-Am, kept close to the showroom versions.
Rally-raid trucks
Trucks
Big trucks with three-person crews: driver, navigator and mechanic. They race on the same stages as everyone else.
Side events
Dakar Classic and Mission 1000
The Classic is a regularity event for older Dakar-style cars and trucks, scored on hitting target times, not top speed. Mission 1000 is for hydrogen, electric and hybrid prototypes, which run a shorter section of each stage.
How the rally works
- How you win. The lowest total time over all the timed stages, plus penalties, wins. Every class has its own result.
- The stages. A short prologue sets the starting order. After that, each day has liaison sections on public roads, which aren’t timed, and a timed special stage that can be 400 km (249 mi) or more. Each day’s results set the next day’s start order.
- Navigation. There’s no track. Crews follow a roadbook of distances, headings and notes on a tablet, and they have to pass hidden waypoints. Miss one and you get a time penalty.
- Marathon stages. On these two-day stages, crews spend the night at a basic camp with no help from their team mechanics. You fix what you can with what you carry, or with help from other competitors.
- Rest day. Halfway through, everyone gets one day off. The teams use it to rebuild the vehicles.
- Safety. Every vehicle carries a tracking and warning system, and speed limits apply in villages and other controlled zones. Speeding there costs time.
- The championship. The Dakar is round one of the World Rally-Raid Championship, which crowns drivers, riders and manufacturers across five events.
One thing that surprises new fans: help from rivals is allowed and common. Factory riders have stopped to hand teammates a wheel, and truck crews tow stranded cars out of the dunes.
Manufacturers With the Most Dakar Wins
The Dakar has no manufacturers’ title of its own, so this ranks makes by outright wins in the car and bike categories, counted through 2026. In cars, Citroën, Volkswagen and Toyota are next with four wins each. In trucks, Kamaz leads with 19.
Cars
12 car wins
Mitsubishi
1985–2007 7 in a row, 2001–07
The Pajero is the most successful car in Dakar history. Mitsubishi won with it in the 1980s and 1990s, then won every year from 2001 to 2007, three times with Peterhansel.
7 car wins
Peugeot
1987–1990 2016–2018
Four straight wins with the 205 and 405 Turbo 16 Grand Raid, then a comeback with the 2008 and 3008 DKR buggies that won three more in a row.
6 car wins
Mini
2012–2015 2020–2021
Run by the German X-raid team, Mini won four in a row with the All4 Racing and two more with the John Cooper Works Buggy.
Read more about Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Mini in our manufacturer guides.
Bikes
21 bike wins
KTM
2001–2026 18 in a row, 2001–19
Nobody comes close. KTM won every bike category held from 2001 to 2019 and has added three more since, including 2026.
9 bike wins
Yamaha
1979–1998 Ténéré era
Yamaha won the very first Paris–Dakar with Cyril Neveu and dominated the 1990s with Peterhansel’s twin-cylinder Ténérés.
8 bike wins
Honda
1982–2024 NXR750, CRF450 Rally
The NXR750 won four straight from 1986 to 1989. Honda’s CRF450 Rally then won in 2020, 2021 and 2024.
BMW is fourth on the bike list with six wins. Read more about Honda and BMW in our manufacturer guides.
Drivers With the Most Dakar Wins
Winning the Dakar once is a career highlight. A few people have made a habit of it. Here are the leaders in the car and bike categories through 2026. In trucks, Vladimir Chagin holds the record with seven wins.
Cars
8 car wins
Stéphane Peterhansel
France 2004–2021
Won with Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Mini. Add his six bike wins and he has 14 Dakar titles, plus a record 83 stage wins.
6 car wins
Nasser Al-Attiyah
Qatar 2011–2026
Has won with Volkswagen, Mini, Toyota and Dacia. His sixth came in 2026, and he’s still racing.
4 car wins each
Ari Vatanen and Carlos Sainz
Finland, Spain Tied for third
Vatanen won three times with Peugeot and once with Citroën between 1987 and 1991. Sainz won with four different makes: Volkswagen, Peugeot, Mini and Audi.
Bikes
6 bike wins
Stéphane Peterhansel
France 1991–1998
All six came on Yamahas, before he switched to cars. Nobody has won more on two wheels.
5 bike wins
Cyril Neveu
France 1979–1987
Won the first Paris–Dakar on a Yamaha XT500, then four more, the last three on Hondas. Tied for second.
5 bike wins each
Cyril Despres and Marc Coma
France, Spain 2005–2015
The great KTM rivalry: between them they won all ten bike Dakars held from 2005 to 2015. Both are tied with Neveu for second.
Talk Dakar With Other Fans
Building a rally bike, picking your favorite for 2027 or just trying to keep up with the route news? Share it with other rally-raid fans in the AutoGathering community.
- Dakar 2027 route talk
- Following the Dakar from home
- Rally-raid bike builds
- Ultimate vs. Stock debates
- Roadbooks and navigation
- Dakar Classic cars
- Rally-raid events to watch
- Desert driving tips
Dakar Rally FAQ
When is the 2027 Dakar Rally?
It was announced for January 1–15, 2027, in Saudi Arabia. In October 2026, organizer ASO told teams the rally is moving, and it’s reported to run January 9–22, 2027, starting in Spain or Portugal and running mostly in Morocco. The official route hadn’t been published as of October 25, 2026.
Where is the Dakar Rally held?
It ran in Africa from 1979 to 2007, in South America from 2009 to 2019 and in Saudi Arabia from 2020 to 2026. The 2027 edition is reported to move to Morocco.
Who won the 2026 Dakar Rally?
Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin won the car category in a Dacia Sandrider, and Luciano Benavides won the bikes on a KTM by two seconds. Vaidotas Žala won the trucks in an Iveco.
Who has won the Dakar the most times?
Stéphane Peterhansel, with 14 wins: six on motorcycles and eight in cars. In cars alone, Nasser Al-Attiyah is next with six.
Which manufacturer has won the Dakar the most?
In cars, Mitsubishi, with 12 wins. In bikes, KTM, with 21. In trucks, Kamaz, with 19.
How long is the Dakar Rally?
About two weeks. The 2026 edition covered nearly 8,000 km (about 4,900 mi), with roughly 4,800 km (3,000 mi) of timed stages.
Why is it still called the Dakar if it doesn’t go to Dakar?
The name is the brand. The race last finished in Dakar, Senegal, in 2007, and the organizers kept the name when it moved to South America and Saudi Arabia.
Is the Dakar part of a championship?
Yes. Since 2022 it has been the first round of the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship, which crowns world champions in cars, bikes and side-by-sides.
Explore the Circuits
The Dakar doesn’t have a home track, since the route changes every year. If you want to see where rally raids happen, our Africa directory covers the Rallye du Maroc and the Africa Eco Race, which still finishes in Dakar.
Photo credits
- Header image: EKSRX, CC BY 2.0, cropped and resized.
- Dacia Sandrider rally-raid prototype on display at…: Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Team De Rooy Iveco Powerstar rally-raid truck…: Patsim, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized.
- Production Polaris RZR Pro R side-by-side, the…: Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 Grand Raid, the…: Andrew Basterfield, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped and resized.
- Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution rally-raid car of 2006…: Semnoz, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized.
- Motorcycles and quads in Buenos Aires before…: Bs1126, CC BY 3.0, cropped and resized.
- Honda HRC CRF450 Rally factory rally-raid motorcycle: MotorideSA, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Stéphane Peterhansel’s Mitsubishi Pajero arriving in Dakar…: Ji-Elle, Public domain, cropped and resized.
- Peugeot 3008 DKR rally-raid car at the…: Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Mini John Cooper Works Buggy, the 2020…: Thomas Vogt from Paderborn, Deutschland, CC BY 2.0, cropped and resized.
- Marc Coma’s KTM 450 Rally on display…: Frank Schwichtenberg, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized.
- Yamaha’s Paris-Dakar rally motorcycles on display at…: Rainmaker47, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Honda CRF450 Rally on display at the…: Rainmaker47, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized.
- Stéphane Peterhansel’s Mini Countryman All4 Racing at…: Clément Bucco-Lechat, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized.
- Toyota GR DKR Hilux T1+ rally-raid car…: Andrew Basterfield, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped and resized.
- Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Grand Raid from…: Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized.
- The 1991 Paris-Dakar-winning Yamaha YZE750T Super Ténéré…: Rainmaker47, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Cyril Despres’s No. 2 KTM 450 Rally…: Thomas Vogt from Paderborn, Deutschland, CC BY 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Honda NXR750 Paris-Dakar motorcycle in the Honda…: Rainmaker47, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized.
- Honda CRF450 Rally Dakar motorcycle at the…: Rainmaker47, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Audi RS Q e-tron Dakar car in…: Y.Leclercq, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Marc Coma’s KTM 450 Rally from the…: Peprovira, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.