A commitment in phase with our time

Taking part in the challenges of our time is an integral part of the Dakar spirit, which already witnessed the emergence in 1985, with Daniel Balavoine and Thierry Sabine, of the “Paris-Dakar, pari du cœur” aid programme. Supply of water pumps or construction of wells in African villages was continued with SOS Sahel, then in South America through the support provided to the NGO Techo in its fight against poverty and precarious housing conditions. More recently, the support given in the Middle East to the Help Center association, which cares for children with physical and mental disabilities, has enabled the Dakar to continue displaying solidarity in its actions.

The Dakar's technological dimension is a natural part of this commitment. Its unusual characteristics make it an unrivalled technological laboratory, which has regularly served as a test bed for new powertrains and safety devices. It was with this in mind that the Dakar Future program first enabled hybrid-powered cars to make their appearance and reach the performance levels of the best teams. And new avenues are opening up for technological experiments likely to transform the rally-raid landscape. The pioneering spirit of the Dakar is at the heart of the "Mission 1000" project.

A HORIZON AND A COURSE OF ACTION

And so the project became a reality. The Dakar Future plan was developed after several years of thinking and discussion, to reach agreement with all the parties concerned on a timetable extending to 2030.

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MISSION 1000

While the T1-U category continues to progress and brings together vehicles already able to tackle the technical nature and especially the distance of the Dakar, the “Mission 1000” programme will play the role of a laboratory, a status the event has claimed since its beginnings. The most innovative decarbonisation technologies are now being called upon to express themselves in a parallel challenge. Each day, the vehicles enrolled will get to grips with a route measuring around one hundred kilometres, on the fringes of the official route but boating similar difficulties.

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A RESPONSIBLE DAKAR

Each year, the Dakar has intensified responsible actions at the bivouac, working in particular on decarbonised energy sources, as well as systematic collection and sorting of waste. It has also been offsetting organisation related CO² emissions since 2009, which it has extended, since 2022, to all of its stakeholders.

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