The 2025 Dakar Rally will kick off in a few days and this year, the route is as challenging as ever and the rally will take place in Saudi Arabia. The 2025 Dakar Rally is set to take place over a 14-day period, starting from Bisha on January 3, and ending at Shubaytah on 17 January. The route will cover over 7,500km of off-road adventure. Let’s take a closer look.
2025 Dakar Rally — The route
The 2025 Dakar Rally will see a mix of sand dunes, gravel, rocks, and more sand dunes. The first day kicks off with a high-speed 29km Prologue Stage in Bisha, and ten slowly leading into the Empty Quarter, where the rally will decide the winners.
January 5 and 6 will see the 48-hour Chrono stage, making its appearance for the second time in Dakar’s history. The stage will see competitors cover 1000km of racing and when the clock strikes 5pn on January 5, competitors must stop at the next rest area and continue the remainder of the distance on 6th January.
| Date | Stage | Route |
| 3 January | Prologue Stage | Bisha–Bisha |
| 4 January | Stage 1 | Bisha–Bisha |
| 5 January | Stage 2 (48-hour Chrono -1) | Bisha–Bisha |
| 6 January | Stage 2 (48-hour Chrono -2) | Bisha–Bisha |
| 7 January | Stage 3 | Bisha–Al Henakiyah |
| 8 January | Stage 4 (Marathon Part 1) | Al Henakiyah–AlUla |
| 9 January | Stage 5 (Marathon Part 2) | AlUla–Hail |
| 10 January | Rest Day | Hail |
| 11 January | Stage 6 | Hail–Al Duwadimi |
| 12 January | Stage 7 | Al Duwadimi–Al Duwadimi |
| 13 January | Stage 8 | Al Duwadimi–Riyadh |
| 14 January | Stage 9 | Riyadh–Haradh |
| 15 January | Stage 10 | Haradh–Shubaytah |
| 16 January | Stage 11 | Shubaytah–Shubaytah |
| 17 January | Stage 12 | Shubaytah–Shubaytah |
January 8 will see the beginning of the Marathon stage — two days of racing with no support from the crew. Riders and drivers must pay attention to their vehicles as they will need to strike a balance between racing and preserving their machines. They will also have to carry their own tools. January 10 will be the much-needed rest day for the competitors and crew in Hail, the former capital of the Arabian Desert.
2025 Dakar Rally — The motorcycles
There are no changes to the motorcycles and specifications as competitors will be racing 450cc single-cylinder motorcycles. The factory teams will be the big names here as they will have a convoy of support crew, while the Original by Motul will see riders competing in the rally and taking care of their own machines with no help.
That said, the 2025 Dakar Rally, for the first time, will feature electronic road books for motorcycles. Done are the older paper navigation books and these new tablets have been adapted specifically for the motorcycles this year.
