- Administrative and technical scrutineering got under way at the sprawling bivouac in Bisha, in south-western Saudi Arabia. Among the contenders vying for the car title in the 47th edition of the Dakar, three teams are taking on the challenge with brand-new vehicles: the Dacia Sandrider, the Ford M-Sport Raptor and a Mini X-raid equipped with a petrol engine.
- A wind of change is also sweeping through the motorbike category. The Indian manufacturer Hero has lofty ambitions, spearheaded by the world champion, Ross Branch. At the same time, all eyes are on the Spanish wunderkind Edgar Canet, already on the KTM top-tier team at the tender age of 19.
- The Dakar is also nurturing the next generation across all levels. Red Bull’s Challenger programme, which has produced stars of the calibre of Seth Quintero and Guillaume de Mévius, continues to feed its talent pipeline. Meanwhile, the Saudi Next Gen initiative aims to launch young Saudi drivers alongside the race.
- Another highlight of the 2025 Dakar is the eagerly anticipated car debut of Toby Price and Sam Sunderland, both former champions on two wheels, now joining forces in a Toyota Hilux as they embark on a new adventure on four wheels.
- The Dakar also marks the start of the fourth season of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), which will unfold in 2025 across five events. Among them, an exciting new addition to the calendar: the South African Safari Rally. A presentation conference was held with the organisers of all five rounds, gathering riders, drivers and crews ready to compete for the championship.
- Nasser Al Attiyah: “We’ll need to get our strategy right”
Among the three teams lining up with brand-new cars, the Dacia Sandriders fired the first shot by dominating the recent Rallye du Maroc. Their objective is to hit the jackpot on their first try, much like Ari Vatanen did in his heyday with Peugeot and later Citroën. Leading the charge is none other than the five-time Dakar winner Nasser Al Attiyah. After a rare withdrawal last year, the Qatari is hell-bent on reclaiming his snug spot at the top over the next fortnight. “We ended up having a fantastic year, winning the championship and taking the top two spots in Morocco”, reminisces the Qatari champion. “We’re on the right track. We spent a lot of time testing, so we’ve got the tools to win the Dakar, but we’ll have to be smart about it.”
The most prolific hunter in the field has scrutinised the route in great detail and his analysis has him thinking ahead: “It feels like we’re doing the Dakar in reverse. We’re starting with a long stage, then the 48 h chrono stage, then another long stage. The first week looks more like a second week of the Dakar, so we’ll need to get our strategy right to get the car to the rest day in good shape and in one piece”. His teammate Sébastien Loeb is still chasing his first Dakar victory. Now on his ninth attempt, he hopes to finally join the ultra-select club of Dakar winners. Just two days out from the prologue, Loeb is more worried about the surprises that the route has in store than about the scarce experience of his new machine: “For the 48 h chrono stage, I saw there’s going to be a service point, which tells me we’re likely to face some serious risks of punctures in the first part. On our side, it’s all about running a clean race. The rest is beyond our control. Everything looks good, but the Dakar is a long, hard slog where anything can happen”.
Ross Branch: Rise of a Hero
It is high time the anomaly were corrected. Despite being the most consistent rider in the 2024 W2RC, Ross Branch, the reigning champion and Dakar runner-up, did not win a single race last season. In fact, his otherwise impressive CV includes only one rally victory, to wit, the 2021 Rally Kazakhstan. This year, the Botswanan is taking on the Dakar with the number 1 plate that signifies his status as world champion. He is determined to prove that it was no fluke over the twelve stages leading to Shubaytah: “The slate has been wiped clean and everyone is starting from scratch. Lots of people say carrying the number 1 adds pressure, but I see it as an honour.
One thing’s for sure, we’re all in it to win it, and I’m definitely not here to finish second”. Hero MotoSports, aiming to become the seventh motorbike manufacturer to win the Dakar, is stacking the deck with talent. Joining Branch is the Chilean Nacho Cornejo, with ten Dakar appearances under his belt at just 30 years old, who will be the back-up leader of the Indian squad. “After so many years, it doesn’t hurt to change teams, it brings a fresh boost of motivation”, explains Cornejo, who jumped ship from Honda after six seasons in red. “We’ve got three fast riders [including Sebastian Bühler]. The team is strong and I hope things go well for all of us in the Dakar.”
Daniel Sanders: “I’m here to help KTM retake the trophy”
Daniel Sanders sidesteps the question of whether he could become the second man from Oz to win the Dakar. “This will be my fifth start, and I’ve never even finished on the podium. We’ll see… It’s going to be a tough race with a gruelling first week. You’ve got to start strong and avoid mistakes.” Of course, “Chucky” dreams of following in the footsteps of fellow Australian Toby Price, who won in 2016 and 2018 —and it is not a pipe dream. He is now racing for KTM, the same team that catapulted Price to his triumphs before he moved on to four wheels. Moreover, Sanders is firing on all cylinders after claiming the Rallye du Maroc last October. “Last year, I went into the Dakar still dealing with the sequelae of a broken leg and didn’t really get my hopes up”, he points out. “It’s all water under the bridge now. I’m physically ready and I love our new bike. It performs better both in the sand and on rocky terrain.”
Now as a KTM factory rider, “Chucky” has stepped into the role once held by Toby Price and is embracing the weight of expectation. “Riding in orange means representing the mothership”, says the rider who competed last year under the GasGas banner, another brand within the Pierer Mobility group. “I’m here to shine and help KTM retake the trophy.” KTM’s bid for a twentieth Dakar victory is guided by the team manager, Jordi Viladoms, who has assembled a strong line-up. Alongside Sanders are the two Benavides Bros., although a shadow of doubt lingers over Kevin following a nasty mid-season injury. Looking to the future, he has also introduced the rising star Edgar Canet. The 19-year-old Catalan, who finished seventh at the Rallye du Maroc, is the baby of the field.
The golden boys
A dynamic duo, thriving in their retirement. Toby Price and Sam Sunderland called time on their illustrious biking careers after each secured two Dakar titles. While they may be sorely missed in the motorbike category, they have made their return to the bivouac, this time as partners in a Toyota Hilux that has already sparked the curiosity of fans. The Australian, who has been focused on his transition to four wheels for several years, was the one to set this partnership in motion with his former KTM teammate. “After a hard day on the bikes, it was cold and there were lots of stones, it was tricky on the bike”, recalls Sunderland. “We’d be like, ‘Wow, imagine how cool it would be in a car, with four wheels, just blow through the rocks.’ I obviously retired. Toby had retired from the bike side too, and one day he sent me a message saying, ‘What do you reckon, should we go in a car together’, and here we are.”
Plenty of former motorbike riders have left their mark on the Dakar in cars, including Hubert Auriol, Nani Roma, Stéphane Peterhansel, Cyril Despres and now Laia Sanz, who finished twenty-third in her car debut in 2022. Toby Price is fully embracing the challenge ahead: “We’re going to give it everything we’ve got and aim high. We want to enjoy it, but there’s also a lot to learn. A top 10 finish would be a great target to shoot for”. Sunderland echoes his driver’s ambitions, adding confidence in their compatibility as a crew: “We’ve spent a huge amount of time together over the last ten years. And we know what Dakar’s about —we’ve both won it twice. I don’t think there’s ever been a duo like this in a car before. Toby‘s already got driving experience and I’m solid on the navigation. I think it’s a great mix of skills. If we can make it to the finish without too much drama, we’ll be in a great position.”
De Mévius and Baumel on a honeymoon
Guillaume de Mévius, Mathieu Baumel and the X-raid Mini JCW 3.0i are the three components of what could be a winning formula in Shubaytah. Blending explosive youth with seasoned expertise, this pairing of men and machine is drawing serious attention. The French navigator Mathieu Baumel, a five-time Dakar winner with Nasser Al Attiyah, joined forces with the young Belgian last summer. The Belgian made waves in January 2024, securing second place overall on his first outing in the Ultimate class. He matched that result later in the year at the Rallye du Maroc while breaking in the X-raid Mini T1+ diesel. Despite a year of seismic changes, the trajectory of the scion of the De Mévius family remains steady. In two days, the Red Devil will discover the petrol-fuelled Mini JCW 3.0i, a model first revealed in October with his teammate Guerlain Chicherit behind the wheel: “The Mini is the evolved form of a car that has been racing for years. We’ve introduced innovations that make it significantly different, but we’re not in the same boat as Dacia or Ford.
Ford is the true newcomer, followed by Dacia, which is still an evolution of an existing design. Then, there’s us and, finally, Toyota, which is sticking with a proven base. This is my second Dakar in Ultimate and I’m aiming for a top 5 finish, ideally a podium spot. If there’s a fight for victory, we’ll be in it.” De Mévius speaks in the second-person plural because he is counting on the vast experience of Mathieu Baumel, who has his own perspective on the unique challenges of the 47th edition of the Dakar. “This Dakar is different because we won’t have the bikes ahead of us in six stages. That’s going to tip the scales. We’ve dealt with rocky terrain and 48 h chrono stages in recent years, we’re getting used to it. The key this year will be our positioning during those bike-free stages at the front.” Their first Dakar together is starting to feel like a honeymoon. Baumel, the most decorated navigator on the start line, is brimming with optimism: “We’ve already covered 3,000 kilometres together and we’ve reached a level of trust beyond anything we could have imagined at this stage.”
Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team: Youth power and a baby shower
It is a tried-and-tested formula. Since 2019, Red Bull has boldly invested in developing young talent through its dedicated Dakar training programme, immersing rookies in the Challenger class to master the art of top-flight racing. The production line keeps churning out champions such as Guillaume de Mévius, Seth Quintero, Mitch Guthrie and Cristina Gutiérrez, all now contenders in the Ultimate class. For the 2025 cohort, two Taurus T3 Max vehicles have been entrusted to Gonçalo Guerreiro and Corbin Leaverton, both fully aware of the incredible opportunity awaiting them in Saudi Arabia. The 24-year-old Portuguese driver, who has already turned heads on the European bajas circuit, did not stumble onto the Dakar by chance: “I come from a family of enthusiasts. I remember watching the Dakar back in 2007 near Portimão, even if the memories are a bit fuzzy. I always knew I’d line up for this someday, but I never imagined it would happen so soon”. After quietly being invited to a selection process in Morocco in September, he had to wait until November to get the call confirming his spot.
The same goes for Corbin Leaverton, who received the good news at his home in California. “It was a very special moment because I felt the tests had gone well, but there was another major consideration: my wife is pregnant and due to deliver our first child on 19 January.” For the soon-to-be father, 2025 is shaping up to be a milestone year, with two major goals on the horizon. “The Dakar is a massive challenge, so the main goal is just to finish. I’ve only known about the race since I started competing and, of course, since I started following the performances of my buddy Seth Quintero, who I’ve often raced with in the past. I know this is the chance of a lifetime.”
Original by Motul: Fewer tyres, higher stakes
For Original by Motul entrants, riders bold enough to tackle the Saudi desert solo, the winds of change are blowing hard at the Start Camp in Bisha. The 2025 rules impose stricter limits on the use of spare wheels, tightening the screws on an already demanding category, as well as making seasoned veterans eligible for the classification again. One of them, Benjamin Melot, a five-time Dakar veteran as a motorbike mechanic with seven entries in Original by Motul, spent last year sidelined from the standings due to his past results. Now back in contention, the Frenchman sees these changes as a welcome shake-up: “I finished second in 2020 and took third twice (2021 and 2022), but last year I couldn’t chase my goal of finally winning, even if only once. The new rules put me back in the rankings and add some spice to the challenge. These days, bikes are so reliable that there’s less and less maintenance to do.
The limit of six sets of tyres won’t be too bad, I generally used eight. The real difference is that we have to fit them ourselves and, more critically, are limited to just one set of spare rims. A 10-minute penalty will apply for each additional spare rim used, like if you break a front wheel, which is the most common issue. This will force us to manage things more carefully: on the course, to avoid trashing the rims, and in the evenings, deciding when to reuse a tyre to save fresh ones for later stages”. The man from Jura has his sights set on the OBM title. Echoing previous editions, he will have to contend with rivals of the calibre of Emanuel Gyenes, Javi Vega and Jérôme Martiny.
Rise of the dragon
When it made its Dakar debut back in 2023, the Chinese manufacturer Kove stunned the rally world by bringing all three of its motorbikes, with riders from the Middle Kingdom in the saddles, across the finish line. For its sophomore appearance last year, Mason Klein made an indelible impression by taking the fight to the front-runners in the early stages on a new-generation Kove… before withdrawing in stage 6. This year, Kove is back with 11 motorbikes on the entry list, tying with Honda as the second-largest contingent in the motorbike category —a meteoric rise that matches the pace Mason Klein hopes to set as the lead rider for Kove Factory Racing, alongside his teammate Neels Theric. “For me, the bike feels different, mainly because I’m not using the same suspension as last year.
The chassis and engine have also evolved. It’s nimbler and more stable in the big valleys, which is super important for my confidence. I’ve spent months on the bike, putting in hours and hours. All that experience will come in handy.” A satellite team led by Sunier Sunier and several amateur riders rounds out the Kove armada. Following closely in Kove’s tracks is Hoto, a newcomer to the Dakar; with three motorbikes in the race, Hoto brings the total number of Chinese-made entries to fourteen, amounting to 10% of the motorbike field! Hoto —a phonetic rendition of the Chinese word for ‘camel’— has developed its own chassis and is fielding its debut machines equipped with KTM engines. The Hoto Factory Racing team features two former Kove riders, Xavier Flick and Fang Xiangliang, as well as Arūnas Gelažnikas, a two-time winner in the Original by Motul class (2021 and 2022). Sunier Sunier‘s 46th place overall in 2022 remains the top result for a Chinese motorbike in the Dakar and the mark to beat in Shubaytah.
Saudi Next Gen hits the road
Showtime! Up until now, the Saudi Next Gen operation had been scouting budding talents on the Saudi off-road scene, looking for drivers who could mimic the exploits of Yazeed Al Rajhi, Yasir Seaidan and Dania Akeel. Five crews made the cut and were summoned to Bisha. Eduardo Mossi, a former Dakar motorbike rider and later co-driver who is now in charge of training this group, bade them welcome. “Our goal is to turn them into professionals who can thrive in the environment of the Dakar, but there is more to this challenge than driving prowess”, explains the Italian. “Being fast is great, but you also need to know how to work as a team, treat your vehicle well, talk to the media, etc. We’ll be assessing these qualities over five days.” The five crews have already got a feel for the Yamaha YXZ 1000 R cars in which they are set to compete. In parallel with the private tests carried out by Dakar drivers, they got down to business on the same 50-kilometre course. “Professor Edo” has been following them closely: “I’ve noticed that their level and temperaments are very different. We even saw someone blast out of the track, but that’s to be expected.” The denouement is still far away. For now, the apprentices are studying the course of the prologue, which they will tackle tomorrow morning.
