“’Be Afraid’ seems to be the message of the route for the 2023 Dakar,” said organisers when they revealed the course at the start of December. The warning does not appear to have put anyone off: more than 800 riders, drivers and co-drivers will set off in an array of motorcycles, cars, quads, trucks and light vehicles when the race begins today.
Among them some well-known names include Qatar’s defending champion Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah (Toyota), a quadruple winner of the event, and nine-time World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb (Bahrain Raid Xtreme). Al-Attiyah will also be up against another WRC legend Carlos Sainz (Mini) as well as the Dakar great Stephane Peterhansel (Audi) who has won the event 14 times – eight in a car and six on a bike.
When asked who he expected to be his main rival this year, al-Attiyah pointed to Bahrain Raid Xtreme’s Sebastien Loeb. “For me, the biggest rival will be Loeb, not Audi, because Seb finished second in 2022, he won in Morocco and Andalusia,” he said.
“And the performance of BRX is very strong, so Loeb will be very strong, and also Carlos and the Audis. We just need to see the performance after three days of the Dakar. We are here at the 2023 Dakar to defend the title with our new car. I tested in Southern Africa, in Namibia, for four days, and yesterday we tested here and today also. It’s a new car, although it’s similar to the one from the last Dakar. The first [days] won’t be easy for navigation, it will be similar to last year, but it’s not easy. The second week of the Dakar is a new place for everyone, so it will be interesting,” the Qatari ace added.
Loeb is relishing the prospect of competing in his sixth Dakar. “It’s 14 stages, it’s very long, a proper endurance rally,” he said. “We need to find the right pace to get to the finish with as few mistakes as possible.”
The Frenchman, who has just won the 2022 edition of the Extreme E, has a tough battle in front of him if he is to improve on his three podium finishes and chalk up that first win.
On the motorcycle side, defending champion Sam Sunderland (GasGas) will face a stiff challenge from the likes of Daniel Sanders (GasGas), Pablo Quintanilla (Honda), Matthias Walkner (KTM) and Adrien Van Beveren (Honda).
Last year, preparations were rocked by an explosion two days before the start of the race which left French driver Philippe Boutron seriously injured. An “accident” according to Riyadh, although French investigators concluded in February that the explosion had been caused by an improvised explosive device.
Amaury Sport Organisation, which runs the event, says it has increased security around the bivouacs where the 2,700 people of the Dakar caravan will be accommodated. The rally, of course, is no stranger to security issues. The first race in 1978 set off from the Trocadero in Paris and ended in the Senegal capital but after 29 years in Africa, the threats became too great.
That meant moving the race to South American for 11 years before switching it to Saudi Arabia in 2020. The rally ends on January 15 on the kingdom’s eastern sea border.
The last 10 winners
Cars2022: Nasser al-Attiyah/Mathieu Baumel (QAT-FRA/Toyota)
2021: Stephane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger (FRA/Mini)
2020: Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (ESP/Mini)
2019: Nasser al-Attiyah/Matthieu Baumel (QAT/FRA/Toyota)
2018: Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (ESP/Peugeot)
2017: Stephane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA/Peugeot)
2016: Stephane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA/Peugeot)
2015: Nasser al-Attiyah/Matthieu Baumel (QAT/FRA/Mini)
2014: Nani Roma/Michel Perin (ESP/FRA/Mini)
2013: Stephane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA/Mini)
Motorcycles
2022: Sam Sunderland (GBR/KTM)
2021: Kevin Benavides (ARG/Honda)
2020: Ricky Brabec (USA/Honda)
2019: Toby Price (AUS/KTM)
2018: Matthias Walkner (AUT/KTM)
2017: Sam Sunderland (GBR/KTM)
2016: Toby Price (AUS/KTM
2015: Marc Coma (ESP/KTM)
2014: Marc Coma (ESP/KTM)
2013: Cyril Despres (FRA/KTM)
Most wins
14 - Stephane Peterhansel (FRA) (8 in cars, 6 in motorcycles)
5 - Cyril Neveu (FRA) (all motorcycles), Marc Coma (ESP) (all motorcycles)
4 - Ari Vatanen (FIN) (all cars), Edi Orioli (ITA) (all motorcycles), Nasser al-Attiyah (QAT) (all cars)
