Jon Rahm took home $3.25 million (2.9 million euros) for winning the Augusta Masters in 2023. Carlos Alcaraz, 2.7 million euros for winning Wimbledon. And you don’t have to go that far. A tennis player who lost in the first round of the Australian Open played today in Melbourne won 72,000 euros (120,000 Australian dollars). It would be logical to think then that the best pilots in the world of raids, the protagonists of one of the biggest sporting events on the planet, with millions of followers every day like the Dakar, should also distribute large financial prizes to its participants. But here’s the surprise: The cash prizes are few and far less than the risk involved in running the Dakar.
Money? Adventure and glory
Drivers attend the toughest races in the world, most of them, pay huge amounts out of pocket or have to provide sponsors who can spend huge sums of money.
Only a few drivers from official teams can attend the Dakar without paying or charging, such as official drivers from KTM, Honda, GasGas, Husqvarna, Hero and Sherco on motorcycles.. Or those Audi, Ford and the official Toyota team. And also some light vehicles or prototypes. Very little. The rest pay a lot to compete in a race where they risk their lives in extremely dangerous terrain.
What motivates you if not money? The pride of reaching the finish line and getting a finisher’s medal. That is the goal of every Dakarian. And those who fight for different categories or for general, move to mmotivation to go down in history as Dakar champion. gone.
What does Carlos Sainz get for winning the Dakar 2024?
From there, there are some symbolic prizes. But in the case of cars, things are more difficult. Carlos Sainz, as champion of the Dakar 2024 in the general classificationyou will only receive the winner’s trophy. There is no euro for winning the overall ranking in cars. Unbelievable. Of course, in four wheels some money is distributed among the three best in various specific categories, nothing important, like about 3,000 for the winner. However, there are others that are left untouched, such as trucks.
Of course, Sainz has a signed contract with Audi where he will receive his due salary. and It is not known if this includes a juicy bonus for winning the Dakar with Audi, something that is likely.
Challenger and SSV, small prizes
Meanwhile, in the class in which Gerard Farrés competes, for example, in SSV (formerly T4), third takes home 1,000 euros, second around 4,000 and the winner around 6,000. In the light prototype class (Challenger), the cash prizes are a bit smaller: the Challenger winner gets 3,000 euros, the second wins 2,000 euros and the third gets 1,000. In addition, there are awards for debutant groups and for other issues. Nothing can match the enormous economic effort of the participants and groups.
Do teams make money in Dakar?
Private structures make money by renting out their cars and offering assistance to participants, so they don’t rely on these prizes. In its part, The official groups see the Dakar as a test bed and a marketing investment that can lead to publicity, a good brand image in the world if they achieve their goals and, finally, they hope that it will lead to to greater vehicle sales.
But without a doubt, the most interesting thing is what happens with motorcycles. The drivers who risk their lives the most competing in the Dakar, who can suffer injuries facing very difficult stages on all types of terrain, receive very little prize money compared to what they do. The winner of the Dakar on motorcycles will take home 50,000 euros and the runner-up receives 25,000. His biggest income comes from sponsors and the contract signed with his official team. Winning the Dakar on motorcycles serves to continue gaining importance to sign important contracts with motorcycle brands and advertising.
Meanwhile, the winner of the Rally2 category, designed for drivers who are not considered Elite, awards 10,000 euros to the winner, 9,000 to the second and 8,000 to the third.
Examples of economic Dakar prizes for motorcycles and quads:
- Winner in the motorcycle category: 50,000 euros
- Dakar runner-up on motorcycles: 25,000 euros
- 3rd place in motorcycles: 15,000 euros
- 4th place: 10,000 euros
- 5th place: 5,000 euros
- Rally2 category winner: 10,000 euros
- 2nd place Rally2: 9,000 euros
- 3rd place Rally2: 8,000 euros
- 4th place in Rally2: 7,000 euros
- 5th place in Rally2: 6,000 euros
- Motul’s Original Champion (without assistance): 5,000 euros
- 2nd place Original by Motul (without assistance): 3,000 euros
- 3rd place for Original by Motul: 1,000 euros
- Winner of Rally2 women: 3,000 euros
- Junior trophy champion: 3,000 euros
- Best veteran trophy: 3,000 euros
- Quad champion: 15,000 euros
- Quad runner-up: 10,000 euros
- Third place in quads: 5,000 euros
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
