Dakar Rally 2024 presentation – total of 354 vehicles from bikes, T1 and T2 cars, T3 and T4, Trucks, and Quads including women driver’s, rider’s and crew. The 46th edition of Dakar Rally starts in Saudi Arabia at AlUla on January 5th and traverses from west-to-east and back covering a total of 7,871 kms, finishing at Yanbu on January 19.
In what must be described as the most existential experience in Motorsport, the count-down to 2024 Dakar Rally heeds the call of pitting man/woman and machine against the almighty terrain of Saudi Arabia’s landscape in the sporting enterprise of competition.
Over the course of Prologue, followed by Stages 1 – 12 which includes an agonizing 48h CHRONO where all stop wherever they are on route at the stroke of 4.00pm, 2024 Dakar Rally cements the founding elements of the spirit of Dakar within the historical landscape of Saudi Arabia.
As Dakar Rally founder Thierry Sabine stated some 4 decades ago: ‘we’re chasing a sense of fulfillment and if racing and mechanics are just a pre-text, they’re a good pre-text. It’s a way of showcasing notions that I believe are important: daring, bravery, and always going further. We look for the track that will take us farther than before’.
Fittingly, Dakar Rally director David Castera personifies the true essence of Dakar, incorporating the extreme challenge of competing in the longest, most grueling race in the world, within the spirit of Dakar: to push beyond what is known, what is comfortable, and what is difficult for competitors, Teams, Manufacturer’s, and crew alike.
The 5th edition of Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia melds the past with the present, with competitors pitching their physical, technical, and mental capabilities against the landscape of Saudi’s sand dunes, rocks, tracks, and plains steered within the bounds of navigation, at speed.
The new Mission 1000 category spearheads Dakar Future programme, whereby 9 vehicles will test cutting-edge technologies on the performance of alternative energies in Dakar. The 3 engine types are: fully electric, fully hydrogen powered/hybrid technologies, in Bike, Car, and Truck categories – racing 100kms sections for total of 1000kms, followed by assessment of energy ratings for future development.
Undoubtedly, women entering 2024 Dakar Rally in Bike, Car -T1 and T2, Challenger Cars – T3, SSV – T4, Trucks, and Classic will compete on level playing field as their male competitors, despite the variance of numbers behind the wheel, or on the bike.
Entries are as follows: Bike category – 2 women from 137 entries, Car T1 – one women and T2 – 4 females from total of 72 entries, T3 – 5 women from 42 driver’s, T4 – 4 females from 36 side-x-side vehicles, and T5 Truck – one all female Team of 3 women, plus 2 females competing in separate crews – from 46 entries.
With 2024 Dakar Rally presentation complete, details known, and entries confirmed, the stages are set for what will be a thrilling journey of discovery, for competitors, Teams, crew, and all those watching from afar.
Header photo: 2023 Dakar Rally Image: Victor Eleuterio.
Words: Sharon Cox.
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