These are the stages of Dakar 2025: days, kilometers and details of each day

This January 3 starts the toughest race in the world, the 47th edition of Dakar Rallythe sixth in a row that will be held entirely in the endless deserts of Saudi Arabia, where the pilots have already experienced one of the most difficult editions in recent decades in 2024. A year later, the dose of cruelty is maintained or even reduced. rising

“Dakar 2025 will be more competitive than ever,” David Castera, director of Dakar, told this newspaper about the test that will be held until January 17, which will have a longer mileage route, of more than 7,000 total km and 5,000 timed km, and where there will be also more dunes and surprises. .

In fact, there will be no time to acclimatize. To begin with, in phase 2, everyone’s resistance will be tested by repeating the 48-hour time trial period. which was already introduced in the previous edition and consists of two days in which to finish almost 1,000 kilometers without the help of teams, with 300 kilometers of sand, sleeping in the main bivouacs distributed along the route, sleeping in a tent and eating military rations of food.

“It could be a mess,” Cristina Gutiérrez from Burgos assured this medium.which highlights the huge trap that can happen at this stage, as drivers can take risks and attack too much due to their excessive desire at the start of the rally. In stage 2 you won’t win the Dakar, but it’s very easy to lose it and everyone should know this.

It’s hard to finish the first week

The first week of the race, which starts in Bisha, will move after that stage of 48 Hours to the north of the country with two more important days before the rest day: the first and second part of the marathon stage (stages 4 and 5)again, without the aid of bivouac aid until the end of the fifth special.

Great new and crazy ending of endless sands

The The main novelty of Dakar 2025 is the introduction of different routes for cars and motorcycles in up to 5 stages. David Castera took this step to increase the difficulty of fighting for the title in cars, so that his co-drivers do not have tracks of motorcycles and their navigation is more difficult.

Up to 45% of the hourly kilometers will differ between two and four wheels. It will take place in a period of 48 Hours, which lasts two days, but also in stages 7, 8, 10 and 11. There will be days of different routes in pairs to avoid techniques. A car that loses a lot of time by opening a track without tracks one day may come back from behind the next day, and vice versa.

Four of the 5 stages of different routes are in the second week, where the dreaded ‘Empty Quarter’the largest sand desert in the world. The last three stages will be dunes and the penultimate (11) could be a spectacle. Excited to the end

All stages of Dakar 2025, one by one:

• Prologue Stage (January 3) / Start: Bisha / Finish: Bisha / total km: 79 / timed km: 29: The Dakar begins in Bisha with a prologue stage that will determine the starting position for stage 1. The 10 fastest drivers in cars and motorcycles will be able to choose a starting position for the first special after this short dirt day and gravel tracks and technical sections. The strategy begins.
• Stage 1 (January 4) / Start: Bisha / Finish: Bisha / total km: 500 / timed km: 412: Loop with the last beginning in Bisha. The real fire begins with a long first stage, 412 km timed with many crossings of tracks that may lead to confusion for some. Strategy will be key as a win could mean opening the way to stage 2 where big differences can start to be made.
• Stage 2 (January 5 and 6) / Start: Bisha / Finish: Bisha / total km: 1006 bikes, 1067 cars / timed km: 958 bikes, 971 cars: Important day. 48-hour time trial stage, with different routes for motorcycles and cars. Almost 1,000 kilometers were timed in two days. There will be 6 small bivouacs en route to sleep in a tent with basic services and military food rations. The pilots would not have their help and had to manage to prepare their engines for the next day. Stage with lots of terrain and 300 kilometers of dunes. The key is to save the tires from the holes.
• Stage 3 (January 7) / Start: Bisha / Finish: Al Henakiyah / total km: 848 / timed km: 496: Dakar is heading to the north of the country. Fastest stage with technical sections. Transition day where no major differences or relevant changes are expected to be marked in the overall standings after two intense days of the 48-hour time trial phase.
• Stage 4 (January 8) / Start: Al Henakiyah / Finish: Al Ula / total km: 588 / timed km: 415: First part of the Marathon Stage. Important day. Arriving at the bivouac, but they could not count on the mechanical assistance of help upon arrival. Participants on motorcycles can only work for an hour and a half on their machines and cars can do it all night. Long stages, very good for the combination of terrain, with sand, rocks and technical areas.
• Stage 5 (January 9) / Start: Al Ula / Finish: Hail / total km: 491 / timed km: 428: Second part of the Marathon Stage. The drivers had to face 491 km of the day without help fixing their cars the night before. It will be a very complete day, with the first part of fast slopes until reaching sandier and more complex terrain. Goal: reach the goal for the rest day.
• Stage 6: (January 11) / Start: Hail / Finish: Al Duwadimi / total km: 829 / timed km: 606: After a well-deserved rest day, the competitors face the start of the second week with a very long, intense day, with two parts separated by a 100 km cut in the middle of the day. The first part is rocks, the second is sand, with dunes, tracks and hills.
• Stage 7 (January 12) / Start: Al Duwadimi / Finish: Al Duwadimi / total km: 724 bikes, 745 cars / timed km: 460 bikes, 481 cars: Different routes for motorcycles and cars, as in the last stage 8. Whoever opens the track will not have traces of motorcycles and may lose time that can be recovered in stage 8, or vice versa . Loop stage with very demanding navigation. Slow and fast terrain will alternate and there will be doses of mountains.
• Stage 8 (January 13) / Start: Al Duwadimi / Finish: Riyadh / total km: 731 bikes, 733 cars / timed km: 485 bikes, 487 cars: Long stage, very difficult for the vehicles and physique of the participants after all the accumulated fatigue. Just like the previous day, the route of motorcycles and cars is different. In the cars, anyone who lost time opening the track in stage 7 can make up for it by attacking from behind in this stage 8. Good day to attack.
• Stage 9 (January 14) / Start: Riyadh / Finish: Haradh / total km: 589 / timed km: 357: Another transitional phase after the rigidity of the previous days. It consists of 357 timed kilometers to Haradh, heading south. It will be a day marked more by fast terrain. However, those who want to attack can try and competitors will be able to play their cards in search of the best possible strategy for the end.
• Stage 10 (January 15) / Start: Haradh / Finish: Shubaytah / total km: 636 bikes, 642 cars / timed km: 117 bikes, 123 cars: Dakar begins to enter the dreaded ‘Empty Quarter’, a desert of sand dunes with many dangers and traps. First of the last two consecutive stages with different routes for motorcycles and cars. This stage will serve as ground contact as the mileage is short.
• Stage 11 (January 16) / Start: Shubaytah / Finish: Shubaytah / total km: 553 motorcycles, 516 cars, 447 trucks / timed km: 321 motorcycles, 284 cars, 130 trucks: One of the most important and scary stages of this Dakar. Second consecutive stage with different routes for motorcycles and cars. This time, the itinerary for the trucks is also different because of what they suffered in this area last year. For them the route will be simpler and shorter.
• Stage 12 (January 17) / Start: Shubaytah / Finish: Shubaytah / total km: 132 / timed km: 62: Final stage of the loop in the Empty Quarter. Departure and arrival at the bivouac so that participants can celebrate reaching the goal with their teams. The start is on the line, through groups of vehicles, something that can leave stunning images. Short stage, but no one can relax until the finish line.