It goes without saying that the Dakar Rally just has to be one of if not the most epic motorsports events on the planet. We previously talked about how the event’s organizers were making this year’s race more epic than ever before, with a grueling route that would test the mettle of both man and machine.
Well, the Dakar Rally is now in full swing, and the best part is that you can keep up to date with all the action from pretty much anywhere in the world—and for free at that. That’s because the Dakar Rally’s coverage is being uploaded for all racing fans around the world to enjoy on YouTube. Pretty cool, right?
Now, in case you missed out on the opening stage of the Rally, you can check it out, as well as the rest of the goings on at Dakar over at the official YouTube channel of the Dakar Rally.
The off-road racing action kicked off on January 3, with a short but punchy prologue through Bisha. The 29-kilometer route was meant to get the competitors up to speed, and acclimatize both man and machine to the arid desert landscape they’d call home for the next two weeks.
Day two continued on with a 413-kilometer Special Stage that dove deep into Bisha’s rugged terrain. All this culminated with the 48-hour Chrono Stage, which kicked off on January 5, 2024, and just concluded time of this writing (check out the highlights here). As much as the Dakar Rally is about speed and overcoming the terrain, it’s equally about endurance and resilience, as teams will have to manage their racers, equipment, and supplies all throughout the two-week ordeal. So yeah, it’s definitely more of a marathon rather than an all-out sprint.
Speaking of marathons, the so-called “marathon stage” commences directly after the Chrono Stage, and is a multi-day grind covering around 600 kilometers a day. This part of the race is made extra challenging as teams will have to camp out in remote bivouacs away from their support teams, and rely solely on their skills to complete the stage.
Following the marathon stage will be a brief rest day scheduled for January 10. But that’s really just the calm before the storm, as the Empty Quarter follows shortly after, and is generally considered to be the most infamous section of the Dakar Rally. The three-day challenge will see racers navigate through Saudi Arabia’s harshest terrain, with the finish line at Shubaytah egging racers on to keep on going.
Needless to say, it’s shaping up to be an epic race at the 2025 Dakar, and I’ve had the action playing in the background for quite some time now. The best part of it all is that you don’t have to stay glued to your screen. You can watch and rewatch all your favorite sections anytime you please. And even better still, the organizers upload a condensed highlights reel after each of the stages, so you don’t miss out on all the important details of the race.
Hopefully in the future, more motorsports series will follow Dakar’s lead in making racing more accessible to fans and spectators all over the world. By making racing easy to watch and access, the global community of enthusiasts will keep on growing. And of course, having more people love bikes, cars, and everything to do with racing is always a good thing at the end of the day.
Source: Dakar via YouTube
