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Car #210

Car #225

Summary

The Dakar Rally heads to Saudi Arabia for the fifth time, with the promise of unseen sections and the first-ever 48hr stage. Follow our live summary below throughout the whole of Dakar 2024 to stay up to date with the two Ford teams taking on ‘the toughest off-road race in the world’. All times in GMT.

Shakedown – Wednesday, January 3rd 🏁

Pre-Prologue Day – Thursday, January 4th 🏁

Prologue – Friday, January 5th 🏁

This is a condensed stage of the Dakar, an exhilarating event where skilled and daring participants will weave between imposing rocks and navigate sandy tracks. The primary mission of the prologue is to decipher the starting order of all the drivers for the intense challenges ahead.

∙Start: AlUla
∙Finish: AlUla
∙Total: 158km
∙Special: 28km

Stage 1 – Saturday, January 6th

The Rally starts in earnest with a new stage which takes the Dakarists over rocky terrain in a race around old volcanoes to the first bivouac, near the town of Al Henakiyah.

∙Start: AlUla
∙Finish: Al Henakiyah
∙Total: 532km
∙Special: 405km

Stage 2 – Sunday, January 7th

After tough and technical, Stage 2 provides the first long day’s rallying, with lots of fast stretches of racing, where the riders can test the pace of their machines, although the day is punctuated with a taxing 30km of dune bashing. At the end of the day’s action, they’ll pass by the palace built by the founder of Saudi Arabia, Ibn Saud.

∙Start: Al Henakiyah
∙Finish: Al Duwadimi
∙Total: 662km
∙Special: 470km

Stage 3 – Monday, January 8th

After a day of sprinting, the first marathon stage of the Dakar 2024, taking in tyre-bursting sections of jagged stones and expanses of sand and dunes. At the end special, the competitors only have two hours to work on their vehicles before they’re locked in parc fermé in the marathon bivouac.

∙Start: Al Duwadimi
∙Finish: Al Salamiya
∙Total: 733km
∙Special: 440km

Stage 4 – Tuesday, January 9th

The second half of the marathon sees a shorter and faster run toward Al-Hofuf, a large city filled with date palms and within the Al-Ahsa Oasis – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the terrain is faster and easier, the course is tough to navigate and any mistakes could be costly. Tomorrow, the Dakarists head into the Empty Quarter…

∙Start: Al Salamiya
∙Finish: Al-Hofuf
∙Total: 631km
∙Special: 299km

Stage 5 – Wednesday, January 10th

After the vast distances covered so far, a 118km special should be straightforward, but the Dakarists face a long road section to reach the rendezvous, as they journey deep into the forbidding Empty Quarter. Starting before dawn and in action until long after sunset, towering dunes lie before them ready to drain their energy and smash their suspension. Expect average speeds to plummet as the going gets extra tough.

∙Start: Al-Hofuf
∙Finish: Shubaytah
∙Total: 727km
∙Special: 118km

Stage 6 – Thursday, January 11th (up to 4pm) - Friday, January 12th (from 7am)

Another marathon stage, but with a twist or two to neutralise the advantage of the factory teams. Firstly, the stage-opening bikes and cars will follow a different route, making navigation much harder, especially with some waypoints hidden along the track. And the Dakarists only have until 4pm GMT+3 to get as far along the stage as possible before pulling in to one of eight bivouacs along the route. In the bivvy, they’ll have access to minimal provisions and camping materials while their machinery is locked away until morning. They’re then back on track from 7am GMT+3 as they race back to Shubaytah and a rest day.

48hr Chrono Superstage
∙Start: Shubaytah
∙Finish: Shubaytah
∙Total: 727km
∙Special: 532km

Rest Day – Saturday, January 13th

After a marathon stage, an unprecedented two-day special and lots of unseen sections, we’re only at the halfway point. The Bikes and Quads will be flown to the Saudi capital, while the Cars and Trucks face an 800km road section before they can take a break.

∙Start: Riyadh
∙Finish: Riyadh

Stage 7 – Sunday, January 14th

After the rest day, another long road section before a challenging stage that opens with a technical run through a course that snakes through a canyon and finishes with a race back over the dunes before returning to Al Duwadimi.

∙Start: Riyadh
∙Finish: Al Duwadimi
∙Total: 873km
∙Special: 483km

Stage 8 – Monday, January 15th

Another challenge awaits as soft sand becomes firmer and gives way to rocky, rugged terrain. This time the temptation will be to get the hammer down and push to build a gap or make up lost ground – but that could lead to costly punctures and pauses for repairs.

∙Start: Al Duwadimi
∙Finish: Ha’il
∙Total: 678km
∙Special: 458km

Stage 9 – Tuesday, January 16th

More tricky navigation over treacherous terrain awaits as the Dakarists race over rocky expanses from Ha’il to AlUla. Getting lost and losing time could be critical to the competitors' campaigns. But while their eyes will be locked on the track ahead of them, this stage will offer some magnificent views of the mountains as they race from one historic city to another.

∙Start: Ha’il
∙Finish: AlUla
∙Total: 639km
∙Special: 417km

Stage 10 – Wednesday, January 17th

The mountainous AlUla region with its famous Elephant Rock provides the backdrop for a demanding and technical obstacle course that will push the competitors’ driving skills to the limit. A good starting position is key here, as opening the stage will be a disadvantage, but the front-runners will not want to sacrifice too much time or position. Expect to see the bigger teams reaching for their big book of tactics.

∙Start: AlUla
∙Finish: AlUla
∙Total: 609km
∙Special: 371km

Stage 11 – Thursday, January 18th

As the Dakar heads to the Red Sea, the penultimate stage will drain the reserves of the already exhausted competitors. Stretching nearly 500km, the special runs through barren, rugged terrain where a small mistake could cost a tyre or even wreck a vehicle. Tired and under pressure to push for the finish, this special could seriously shake up the order in every category.

∙Start: AlUla
∙Finish: Yanbu
∙Total: 587km
∙Special: 480km

Stage 12 (Finish) – Friday, January 19th

The last stage – a looping route through the rocky desert outside Yanbu – should be a sprint to the line and last year saw an upset as the winner’s trophy was snatched from the hands of Toby Price as Kevin Benavides overhauled the two-time champion in a race to the finish line. Who'll be on the final podiums in 2024? Join us on the start line in the New Year.

∙Start: Yanbu
∙Finish: Yanbu
∙Total: 328km
∙Special: 175km

Our Photographers

Where To Watch

Sources:

• redbull.com

• sa-dakargroup.co.za

• dakar.com

• Ford Performance

• Neil Woolridge Motorsport

• M-Sport