Since its creation in 1978, the Dakar has inflamed the imagination and engendered passion. A legendary race, the Dakar has become a social phenomenon. Nourished by the spirit of adventure and the enthusiasm of its courageous participants, the Dakar remains faithful to its founding values: a unique sporting competition in the heart of Africa, experienced by all, amateurs and professionals, as an extraordinary human adventure.


A renowned sporting competition

Born from the audacious vision of one man, Thierry Sabine, the race rapidly took on a structure with specific regulations, creating a new discipline: the rally raid. A rigorous and selective competition, the Dakar has been able to attract the great names of mechanical sports such as Jacky Ickx, Ari Vatanen, Bruno Saby and Stéphane Peterhansel, names that have given the race its pedigree. These champions have brought in their wake automobile constructors of world renown (Porsche, Peugeot, Citroen, Nissan, Mitsubishi, BMW, Yamaha, KTM, Toyota and Honda…).

Like other great races, the Dakar has also given birth to its own champions ,such as Auriol, Masuoka and Meoni, recognised today as some of the best drivers of their generation.


An extraordinary human experience

Over and beyond the sporting verdict, the raw results provided by the chronometers, all Dakar competitors share very special moments, strong sensations, unforgettable events, in short a common history that unites them for life.

Once the rally has ended, the tribulations become just good memories and an excellent reason to return the following year. It is what the drivers, amateurs and professionals alike, call “the Dakar virus”.


A meeting in the heart of Africa

The origins of this passionate meeting lie in:
• the diversity of the countries travelled through (snowy summits of the High Moroccan Atlas, oases with their plants in flower and palm trees, the red lands of Mali, the Mauritanian reliefs, the spectacular crossing of the rivers of Senegal and the arrival at the Dakar Rose Lake.
• the warmth of the populations encountered
• the crossing of sites that have become legendary


A unique rally

THE LEGENDARY SITES OF DAKAR

• Algeria: first steps for the Dakar in Africa (1979)
• Timbuktu: In Mali, Jean Ragnotti dominated the competition (1980)/triple win by Peugeot (1988)
• Bobo Dioulasso: The Burkina Faso welcomes the Dakar (1980 and 2004)
• Tunis: Le Dakar visite la capitale de la Tunisie (1989)
• Néga: Mauritanian pass, scene of a generalised bogging down (1990)
• The Cap: Crossing of the whole of the continent from the north to the south with a finish in South Africa (1992)
• Tan Tan: The Moroccan town received the rally twice in the same year during the itinerary Paris-Dakar-Paris (1994)
• Zouerat: Two favourites, Kinigardner and Vatanen, lose all chances of winning the race (1996)
• Agadez: This town in Niger was the epicentre of the Dakar for many editions
• Khofra: the passage through Libya is determining, during a superb Dakar-Le Caire itinerary (2000)
• Sharm el Sheik: The Dakar comes to Egypt for the second time in 2003
• Dakar: and the finish at the Rose Lake


THE DAKAR IS THE SOLE MAJOR INTERNATIONAL MECHANICAL SPORTING EVENT

• A tremendous mixture of autos, motorbikes, quads and trucks (on average 430 vehicles)
• Mixing professionals (20%) with amateurs (80%)
• Crossing through a continent, Africa (21 different countries crossed through in the last 26 races)
• Enabling the stars of mechanical sports to rub shoulders (Henri Pescarolo, Patrick Tambay, Juha Kankkunen, Miki Biason, Colin Mc Rae…), with the world of sports (Laurent Bourgon, Marie-claire Restoux, Loick Peyron, Luc Alphand, Isabelle Patissier) and showbiz (Johnny Halliday, Claude Brasseur, Michel Sardou…).