For racing fans all over the world, the Dakar Rally just has to be one of the most epic events out there. The off-road racing event has become synonymous with resilience and endurance, and is often described as one of the most difficult motorsports events in existence.
And while all previous Dakar Rallies have been nothing short of epic, the organizers for the 2025 Dakar Rally are taking things to the next level, bringing a more challenging and difficult race that promises to push all the competitors to their absolute limits.
You see, the official route for the 2025 Dakar Rally is out, and it spans nearly 8,000 kilometers of grueling desert terrain, starting in Bisha and culminating in Shubaytah, Saudi Arabia, over the course of two weeks.
The Dakar Rally usually involves two types of stages—specials and liaisons. Special stages are timed sections that test speed, navigation, and skill. These are usually held on off-road courses deep within the desert. Meanwhile, liaison stages aren’t timed. As the name suggests, they’re transitory stages meant mostly for transporting teams and vehicles to the next set of special stages. Oftentimes, liaison stages pass through paved roads and offer competitors a chance to catch their breath in between specials.
For 2025, there will be more than 5,000 kilometers of specials, meaning competitors will spend a huge chunk of the rally racing against the clock, and yes, ultimately against each other.
Let’s take a look at the route in a bit more detail.
The prologue consists of a short, 29-kilometer special through Bisha, and is scheduled for January 3, 2025. The next day will be the first long special stage, a 412-kilometer route across Bisha’s rugged terrain. On January 5, the 48-hour Chrono Stage will serve as the first major test.
With close to 1,000 kilometers of specials, teams will have to work around the clock to make sure they cover enough ground while ensuring their vehicles remain in top condition.
Following directly after the Chrono Stage is the marathon stage, which actually consists of many stages that will see competitors cover an average of 600 kilometers on a daily basis. There is, however, one rest day on January 10, which will allow competitors to catch their breath, regroup, and make sure all their equipment is in good condition. After this, the grueling adventure continues until they reach the infamous Empty Quarter.
Here, competitors will have three days to cover the most treacherous part of the Saudi desert. And provided that they make it out to the other side, the town of Shubaytah will be waiting to welcome finishers of the Dakar Rally.
So there you have it, that’s what the 2025 Dakar Rally has in store for us. Now, the specific details of each of the stages, as well as the distances for each, can all be found on the Dakar Rally’s official website. Feel free to check it out if you want to get an even better picture of how tiring this race will be.
That said, mark your calendars for January 3, 2025, as that’s when the racing action will begin in Bisha, Saudi Arabia.
Source: Dakar Rally
