The Dakar 2025 started on January 3 and will still be held entirely in Saudi Arabia this year. Find all the information on the most prestigious rally-raid.
Here we go again for a ride. The 47th edition of the Dakar takes place between January 3 and 17, 2025 with this year once again a route entirely traced in Saudi Arabia. A prologue and twelve stages are offered to competitors, including the formidable “48 hours”, introduced in 2024, from the third day. The pilots will then cover more than 1,000 kilometers in two days, including 965 of the special, with a stop at 4 p.m. on the first day, with the obligation for everyone to reach the nearest rest area. Competitors have camping equipment to spend the night in the desert without having any information on the performance of their rivals.
If this marathon stage is one of the keys to the race, other traps were set for participants during the 15 days of the rally. Last year, the Spaniard Carlos Sainz and his co-driver Lucas Cruz won in the car category while the American Ricky Brabec triumphed in the motorcycle category. Often placed but never a winner, Frenchman Sébastien Loeb, now behind the wheel of a Dacia, hopes that his ninth participation will be a good one. Note that Stéphane Peterhansel, nicknamed “Mr. Dakar” because of his 14 victories (6 on motorcycles then 8 on cars) – the first in 1991, the last in 2021 – has decided not to start this year.
What is the ranking for the Dakar 2025?
Cars: The general classification (after the 8th stage)
1. Lategan/Cummings (Toyota Gazoo) 42h05’02”
2. Al-Rahji/Gottschalk (Overdrive Racing) at 5’41”
3. Ekstrom/Bergkvist (Ford M-Sport) at 28’55”
4. Al Attiyah/Boulanger (Dacia Sandriders) at 34’14”
5. Guthrie/Walch (Ford M-Sport) at 55’39”
6. Serradori/Minaudier (Century Racing) at 58’24”
7. Yacopini/Oliveras (Overdrive) at 1h32’11”
8. Quintero/Zenz (Toyota Gazoo) at 1h36’54”
9. Ferreira/Palmeiro (X-Raid Mindi) at 2h05’07”
10. Baragwanath/Cremer (Century Racing) at 2h11’47”
Motorcycles: The general classification (after the 8th stage)
1. Daniel Sanders (AUS/KTM) 44h25’52”
2. Tosha Schareina (ESP/Honda) at 11”03”
3. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA/Honda) at 21’31”
4. Luciano Benavides (ARG/KTM) at 30’48”
5. Ricky Brabec (USA/Honda) at 31’56”
6. Skyler Howes (USA/Honda) at 37’03”
7. Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (CHI/Hero) at 53’32”
8. Edgar Canet (ESP/KTM) at 1h21’02”
9. Tobias Ebster (AUT/KTM) at 1h52’13”
10. Stefan Svitko (SVQ/Slovnaft) at 1h57’41”
What is the route for the Dakar 2025?
Prologue – January 3: Bisha (79km including 29km of special)
Stage 1 – January 4: Bisha-Bisha (500km including 412km special)
Stage 2 48 hours flat – January 5/6: Bisha-Bisha (1057km including 965km of special)
Stage 3 – January 7: Bisha- Al Henakiyah (845km including 327km of special)
Stage 4 – January 8: Al Henakiyah-Al Ula (588km including 415km of special)
Stage 5 – January 9: Al Ula-Hail (491km including 428km of special)
Rest: January 10
Stage 6 – January 11: Hail-Al Duwadimi (829km including 605km of special)
Stage 7 – January 12: Al Duwadimi-Al Duwadimi (745km including 481km of special)
Stage 8 – January 13: Al Duwadimi-Riyadh (733km including 487km of special)
Stage 9 – Tuesday January 14: Riyadh-Haradh (589 including 357km of special)
Stage 10 – January 15: Haradh-Shubaytah (638km including 119km special)
Stage 11 – January 16: Shubaytah-Shubaytah (506km including 280km special)
Stage 12 – January 17: Shubaytah-Shubaytah (205km including 134km special)
What are the main favorites?
The favorites in the auto category:
#200 Al Attiyah/Boulanger (Dacia Sandriders)
#201 Al Rajhi/Gottschalk (Overdrive Racing)
#202 Chicherit/Winocq (X-Raid Mini)
#203 Moraes/Monleon (Toyota Gazoo)
#204 Quintero/Zens (Toyota Gazoo)
#205 Botterill/Cummigs (Toyota Gazoo)
#206 De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz (Toyota Gazoo)
#208 Vanagas/Gospodarczyk (Toyota Gazoo)
#209 Serradori/Minaudier (Century Racing)
#219 Loeb/Lurquin (Dacia Sandriders)
#221 Prokop/Chytka (Orlen Jipocar)
#222 De Mevius/Baumel (X-Raid Mini)
#225 Sainz/Cruz (Ford M-Sport)
#226 Ekstrom/Bergkvist (Ford M-Sport)
#227 Roma/Haro (Ford M-Sport)
The main favorites in the motorcycle category:
#1 Ross Branch (BWA/Hero)
#4 Daniel Sanders (AUS/KTM)
#7 Pablo Quintanilla (CHI/Honda)
#9 Ricky Brabec (USA/Honda)
#10 Skyler Howes (USA/Honda)
#11 Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (CHI/Hero)
#12 Bradley Cox (AFS/KTM)
#13 Martin Michek (RTC/Orion)
#16 Romain Dumontier (FRA/Honda)
#18 Jan Brabec (RTC/STorjent)
#42 Adrien Van Beveren (FRA/Honda)
#47 Kevin Benavides (ARG/KTM)
#77 Luciano Benavides (ARG/KTM)
#142 Stefan Svitko (SVQ/Slovnaft)
On which TV channel to follow the Dakar 2025?
Like last year, the L’Equipe channel, free and available on TNT, is the official broadcaster of the Dakar 2025. The arrival of the stages is broadcast live every day from 11:50 a.m. For those who cannot watch, the Dakar Journal, at 6:10 p.m., is an opportunity to see the main images of the day while The Grand Summary, at 8:05 p.m., offers a more complete breakdown with the reactions of the main competitors. All live broadcasts and replays are available simultaneously on the L’Équipe website and application.
Eurosport is also still involved. A daily program of around fifty minutes to look back at the highlights of the race is broadcast at 9 p.m. on Eurosport 1, from January 3 to 11, then on Eurosport 2 between January 12 and 17. Night owls can watch the rebroadcast from midnight, otherwise you have to wait until the next morning at 8:30 a.m. Finally, France Télévisions covers the 47th edition of the Dakar through the program Tout le Sport, scheduled from Monday to Saturday at 7:50 p.m. on France 3, and in Stade 2 on Sunday from 8:05 p.m. to 9:05 p.m. on the same channel.
14:28 – Motorcycles: Benavides wins in front of Van Beveren, Sanders masters
The eighth stage of the Dakar 2025, contested Monday over 487 kilometers between Al Duwadimi and Riyadh, smiled on Luciano Benavides (KTM). The Argentinian, already the fastest on the fifth stage, was two minutes ahead of the Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) with whom he had stopped for more than half an hour at the start of the route to rescue the Chilean Pablo Quintanilla, victim of a heavy fall and forced to abandon. The two bikers then made up for the time lost in helping their counterpart using their GPS data and only learned their ranking when they arrived at the bivouac after the liaison. Still leader, Daniel Sanders (KTM), favored caution, ranking seventh but conceding less than 7 minutes to the winner of the day and only 3 minutes and 30 seconds on Tosha Schareina (Honda), his most serious competitor in the general classification. The Australian still has a lead of more than 11 minutes over the Spaniard while Van Beveren, third, is 21 minutes behind.
11:46 – Cars: Lategan gives himself some air, Ekström and Al-Attiyah lose time
While his lead in the general classification over Yazeed Al-Rahji (Overdrive) had melted to 21 seconds the day before, Henk Lategan somewhat regained his distance from the Saudi pilot on Monday during the eighth stage of the Dakar 2025. African won at the finish in Riyadh, after 487 kilometers of special, with a little more than two minutes ahead of his compatriot Guy David Botterill, like him at the wheel of a Toyota Gazoo. But Lategan especially gained 5 minutes and 20 seconds from Al-Rahji, sixth in the stage, and even more from his two other pursuers Matthias Ekström (Ford M-Sport) and Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia Sandriders). The Swede and the Qatari respectively lost 18 and 12 minutes on the race leader, which relegated the third and fourth in the general classification to 29 and 34 minutes. Al-Rahji, who came very close to taking control of the rally on Sunday, found himself pushed back to 5 minutes and 41 seconds behind Lategan.
09:18 – Motorcycles: Quintanilla falls and gives up
Seventh this Monday morning at the start of the eighth stage of the Dakar 2025, Pablo Quinanilla fell heavily on the handlebars of his Honda and was forced to abandon the race. The Chilean driver was one of the outsiders for the final victory at the start of the rally on January 3, he who had already finished second twice and has six Top 5s to his name. Note that the French Adrien Van Beveren and the Argentinian Luciano Benavides spent more than half an hour with Quintanilla after his fall, time which will be returned to them once they arrive in Riyadh.
11/01/25 – 3:20 p.m. – Cars: The stage for De Mevius, Chicherit abandons
Gilles de Mevius, supported by his French co-pilot Matthieu Baumel, won the sixth stage of the Dakar on Saturday, contested over 605 kilometers between Hail and Al Duwadimi. The Belgian, at the wheel of his Mini X-Raid, beat the Portuguese Ferreira by 1 minute and 34 seconds for a Mini double. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia Sandriders), relegated to two minutes, took third place while the leader of the race, Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo) set the seventh time of the special, 6’36” behind the winner of the day The South African remains leader in the general classification but lost three minutes to Yazeed Al-Rahji (Overdrive) who is closer to the Swede Matthias Ekström (Ford). M-Sport) remains third at 22 minutes, Al-Attiyah fourth at half an hour at the start of this sixth stage, the Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit, who was competing in his 14th Dakar, was forced to abandon after having a crash. accident with his Mini X-Raid.
11/01/25 – 1:42 p.m. – Motorcycles: Van Beveren second in the stage, Sanders still leader
Finally reclassified as winner of the fifth stage of the Dakar after the cancellation of the penalties imposed by the commissioners, Adrien Van Beveren placed second on Saturday in the sixth stage contested between Hail and Al Duwadimi after having opened the track all day. The Frenchman on his Honda was only beaten by the American Ricky Brabec (Honda), outgoing winner of the event, by 23 seconds at the end of the 605 kilometers of special. Ninth at the finish, Daniel Sanders (KTM) lost less than six minutes on the winner of the day, thus remaining a solid leader. The Australian maintains a comfortable lead of 11 minutes and 46 seconds over Tosha Schareina (Honda) while Van Beveren remains on the third step of the podium, 19 minutes behind. Note that the Botswanan Ross Branch, fourth in the race at the start this morning, was forced to retire after falling at kilometer 96 of the special.