The Mission 1000 challenge provides a test bed for vehicles to put their cutting-edge alternative technologies to the test in the landscapes of the Dakar, tackling a distance suitable for their current potential every day. The desert laboratory is returning for its third edition in 2026, with a growing roster of projects that aim to build the future of rally raids.
Dacia has burst onto the rally-raid scene with its Sandrider model running on 100% synthetic fuel, showing just how eager stakeholders are to continue pushing the envelope. Ford M-Sport is also revving up for the Dakar with biofuels, as are some of Mini X-raid’s and Toyota Gazoo Racing
entrants. Looking at the big picture, most of the elite vehicles in the Ultimate class have made the switch to fuels that slash carbon emissions by nearly 70%, with the vast majority of the remaining teams intending to follow suit in the coming years.
In a similar vein, the Dakar launched Mission 1000 to put cutting-edge technologies through their paces in the extreme conditions of the desert. Daring projects are lining up to partake in this XXL test bed. It yielded a treasure trove of data for the trailblazers who took up the challenge
in 2024, who went back to their garages to make their machines more reliable and robust.
Three engine types were selected for Mission 1000:
100% = Reliability
Competitors are required to complete the whole official route on the tracks of the Dakar, over 1,000 kilometres. If a competitor misses a stage or part of a stage, his or her "100%" gauge will remain unfilled and the participant will not score full points at the end of the rally: 1,000 km = 100 points.
Drive Mode = Range
For each stage, the competitors will have a reference time within which to complete the route, equivalent to the Normal drive mode in off-road conditions.
- If the time achieved is 10% greater than the reference time, Eco mode will be activated, 0 bonus point will be added.
- If the time achieved is equal to the reference time, Normal mode will be activated, 5 bonus points will be added.
- If the time achieved is 10% less than the reference time, Sport mode will be activated, 10 bonus points will be added.
- Drive mode bonus points can only be won by stage finishers.
Launch Control = Performance
Each competitor will be required to cover a distance of 200 m from a standing start. The competitors achieving the best time on two-wheel vehicles and in 4/6-wheel vehicles will pick up 10 bonus points.
Fan Boost = Awareness
During the rally, fans will be asked to vote for their favourite project via the social networks of the Dakar. The audience’s favourite project will receive an additional 10 bonus points per vehicle after the vote, the second will receive 5 points, and the third will receive 2 points.
