The route: dune, more dune and always dune
For the fourth year in a row, the event will take place on Saudi soil with a course of 8,549 km and 4,706 km of specials divided into 14 stages (one rest day).
More than 800 participants (motorcycles, cars, quads and trucks) will cross the country from east to west, from the shores of the Red Sea to the city of Damman, exploring in particular the Empy Quarter, this immense expanse deserted by man southwest of the kingdom.
The caravan will venture for the first time into this immense expanse of dunes which has helped to enable the organizers to renew two thirds of the specials.
The route of the Dakar 2023 ASO
The details of the steps
Saturday 31 December, stage 1a (prologue): Sea camp, bivouac on the shores of the Red Sea - Sea camp, 11 km (11 km of specials)
.
Sunday January 1, stage 1b: Sea camp - Sea camp, 603 km (including 368 specials)
.
Monday January 2, 2nd stage: Sea camp - Al-Ula, 590 km (431)
.
Tuesday January 3, 3rd stage: Al-Ula - Ha'il, 669 km (447)
.
Wednesday January 4, 4th stage: Ha'il - Ha'il, 573 (425)
.
Thursday January 5, 5th stage: Ha'il - Ha'il, 646 (375)
.
Friday January 6, 6th stage: Ha'il - Al-Duwadimi, 877 km (466)
.
Saturday January 7, 7th stage: Al-Duwadimi - Al-Duwadimi, 641 km
(473)
.
Sunday January 8, 8th stage, Al-Duwadimi - Ryad, 722 km (407)
.
Monday January 9, rest day in Riyadh
.
Tuesday January 10, 9th stage: Ryad - Haradh, 710 km (439)
.
Wednesday January 11, 10th stage: Haradh - Shaybah, 623 km (114)
.
Thursday January 12, 11th stage: Shaybah - Empty Quarter marathon 426 km (275)
.
Friday January 13, 12th stage: Empty Quarter marathon - Shaybah,
375 km (185)
.
Saturday January 14, 13th stage: Shaybah - Al-Hofuf, 669 km (154)
.
Sunday January 15, 14th stage: Al-Hofuf - Dammam, 414 km (136)
The big news: back to basics on the bivouac
David Castera has promised a longer, more demanding Dakar with even more dunes.
The race boss didn't lie: the strings of dunes awaiting the competitors will be endless and could reshuffle the cards in the standings in the second week.
But the novelty will probably be invisible to fans of the cream of rally-raids.
It concerns the bivouac.
After the two explosions of criminal origin last year, security has been reinforced.
Check points, demining units and police patrols around the camp attest to this.
The events of 2022 have prompted ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation) to move away from cities by setting up a bivouac that looks like a small autonomous town to limit contact with the outside world and reduce the risk of potential attacks.
An ever greener Dakar
Very often singled out for its carbon footprint, the Dakar has come up to speed to respond to environmental concerns.
Even if it starts from very far away, the rally-raid must also serve as a laboratory for the greener technologies of tomorrow with the generalized introduction of biofuels and so-called synthetic fuels this year.
The arrival of Audi and its hybrid cars last year also goes in this direction.
"
We are moving towards new vehicles that will pollute less (...) We have many small projects that are beginning to emerge (electric, hydrogen, biofuels, etc.), but we are struggling.
We have cars that are ready, but that I don't know how to run because hydrogen stations are not being put in place as quickly as the development of technology.
So you have to make the logistical issues, the supplies, coincide with the advancement of technology.
It's really a fairly strong challenge but we are on it and we have launched a dynamic so that everyone in 2026 is in low emission.
Zero does not exist, but we can be very low
, ”says David Castera.
Audi wants a hybrid vehicle to triumph for the first time in the Dakar HAMAD I MOHAMMED / PANORAMIC
Who are the favorites in the cars?
After a shot to see in 2022, Audi appears as the main contender for final victory.
The Ingolstadt brand has put in a lot of resources to make its hybrid cars triumph with Carlos Sainz and Stéphane Peterhansel.
The Frenchman, record holder of victories (6 on motorcycles and 8 in cars) had the time to develop the RS Q E-TRON E2.
Mr Dakar is well placed to claim a ninth success and bow out in stride.
The German clan will however have to unbolt from its pedestal Nasser Al-Attiyah quadruple winner of the event at the wheel of his GR DKR HILUX (Toyota).
Outsider, Sébastien Loeb will start his 7th Dakar at the wheel of his Bahrein Raid Xtreme Hunter prepared by Prodrive with great ambition, but his setbacks in previous years have pushed "Seb" to remain humble.
"
The Dakar as a whole is going to be difficult
", predicts the Frenchman, nine-time world rally champion who sees "
long specials in the dunes
", "
extraordinary sensations with the cars we have today
" but which require "
to be hyper-focused
".
Sébastien Loeb's Hunter takes on the desert FREDERIC LE FLOC H / PANORAMIC
Who are the favorites among motorcycles?
On the two-wheel side, the Briton Sam Sunderland (GasGas) will defend his crown, challenged by other leaders in the discipline such as the Australian Daniel Sanders (GasGas), the Chilean Pablo Quintanilla (Honda), the Austrian Matthias Walkner ( KTM) or the Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren (Honda).
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