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The Dakar Series was an annual series of rally raid off-road races, organised by the A.S.O.. The series groups together events similar in style to the Dakar Rally and was founded in 2008 after the cancellation of the 2008 edition of the rally.
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The Dakar Series was an annual series of rally raid off-road races, organised by the A.S.O.. The series groups together events similar in style to the Dakar Rally and was founded in 2008 after the cancellation of the 2008 edition of the rally.
The Dakar Series was born in 2008, with the cancellation of this year's edition, in anticipation of a year of the A.S.O. program. To create a rally raid series affiliated with the Dakar, it will be part of a single calendar (the final date must be the owner of the edition of the rally raid for the next year). The first event that inaugurated the series was the Central Europe Rally, followed by the PAX Rally and which included a car, motorcycle, quad and truck.
From the second edition, further new events were added, with safety and organizational measures, and media attention, equal to those of the Dakar. In 2009, 2010 and 2011, the series consisted of a single event with the Silk Way Rally entering the calendar, which took place over the following three years between Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. In 2012, the Silk Way Rally was replaced by the Desafio Litoral, a rally raid held entirely in Argentina, and in turn replaced by two new events in 2013: the Desafio Ruta 40 (also held in Argentina and successor to the Desafio Litoral) and the Desafío Inca (which takes place in Peru). With the entry of the Desafio Guarani into the calendar the following year, the series reached a record number of three events, giving life to a preparation process in view of the Dakar to be held entirely in South America.
In 2016, after the cancellation of the Desafio Inca the previous year and the passage of the Desafio Ruta 40 to the Dakar Challenge circuit, there was only one event left on the calendar, making its debut in the series, namely the Merzouga Rally (which takes place over the of five days in Morocco). The following year A.S.O. also included the newly formed Dakar Series China Rally, bringing the number of events to two.
In 2018, the Desafio Ruta 40 and the Desafio Inca return to the calendar, while the Dakar Series China Rally comes out. With the Dakar moving to Saudi Arabia in 2019, the competition calendar once again features just one event (the Merzouga Rally).
In 2020, the Merzouga Rally was finally cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizers postponed it until its next edition on 2021, which it never took place. Since then, no rally has been held under the Dakar Series label.
| Year | Rally | Route | Bikes | Cars | Trucks | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Make | Time | Gap | Pos | Driver/Navigator | Make | Time | Gap | Pos | Driver/Navigators | Make | Time | Gap | |||
| 2008 | Central Europe Rally |  Budapest -  Baia Mare - Balatonfüred | 1 |  David Casteu | KTM | 12:21:14 | 1 |  Carlos Sainz Michel Périn | Volkswagen | 11:18:08 | 1 |  Hans Stacey  Eddy Chevaillier Bernard der Kinderen | MAN | 11:43:20 | |||
| 2 |  Francisco López | KTM | 12:24:12 | 2:58 | 2 | Stéphane Peterhansel Jean-Paul Cottret | Mitsubishi | 11:20:09 | 2:01 | 2 | Wulfert van Ginkel Daniel Bruinsma Richard de Rooij | GINAF | 12:17:03 | 33:43 | |||
| 3 | Alain Duclos | KTM | 12:40:53 | 19:39 | 3 |  Dieter Depping Timo Gottschalk | Volkswagen | 11:24:42 | 6:34 | 3 |  Aleš Loprais Ladislav Lala Milan Holáň | Tatra | 12:36:38 | 53:18 | |||
| PAX Rally |  Lisbon - Portimao | 1 | Ruben Faria | Honda | 12:16:39 | 1 | Stéphane Peterhansel Jean-Paul Cottret | Mitsubishi | 11:15:00 | ||||||||
| 2 | Cyril Despres | KTM | 12:22:44 | 6:05 | 2 | Luc Alphand Gilles Picard | Mitsubishi | 11:18:00 | 3:00 | ||||||||
| 3 | Marc Coma | KTM | 12:24:31 | 7:52 | 3 |  Nasser Al-Attiyah  Tina Thörner | BMW | 11:21:00 | 6:00 | ||||||||
| 2009 | Silk Way Rally |  Kazan -  Oral -  Ashgabat | 1 | Carlos Sainz Lucas Cruz | Volkswagen | 24:12:21 | 1 | Firdaus Kabirov Andrey Mokeev Anatoley Tanin | Kamaz | 28:13:52 | |||||||
| 2 |  Mark Miller  Ralph Pitchford | Volkswagen | 24:34:13 | 20:52 | 2 | Gérard de Rooy Tom Colsoul Darek Rodewald | Iveco | 29:16:17 | 1:02:25 | ||||||||
| 3 | Giniel de Villiers Dirk von Zitzewitz | Volkswagen | 24:40:30 | 28:09 | 3 | Aleš Loprais Jaroslav Miškolci Milan Holáň | Tatra | 29:56:12 | 1:42:40 | ||||||||
| 2010 | Silk Way Rally | Saint Petersburg - Sochi | 1 | Carlos Sainz Lucas Cruz | Volkswagen | 19:42:02 | 1 | Eduard Nikolaev Vyatcheslav Mizyukaev Vladimir Rybakov | Kamaz | 22:56:21 | |||||||
| 2 | Nasser Al-Attiyah Timo Gottschalk | Volkswagen | 19:50:29 | 8:27 | 2 | Vladimir Chagin Sergey Savostin Ildar Shaysultanov | Kamaz | 23:18:49 | 22:28 | ||||||||
| 3 | Mark Miller Ralph Pitchford | Volkswagen | 20:22:24 | 40:22 | 3 | Firdaus Kabirov Andrey Mokeev Aydar Belyaev | Kamaz | 23:24:42 | 28:21 | ||||||||
| 2011 | Silk Way Rally | Moscow - Sochi | 1 |  Krzysztof Holowczyc Jean-Marc Fortin | BMW | 5:11:27 | 1 | Aleš Loprais Milan Holáň Vojtěch Štajf | Tatra | 8:23:15 | |||||||
| 2 | Stéphane Peterhansel Jean-Paul Cottret | Mini | 7:10:55 | 1:59:28 | 2 | Firdaus Kabirov Andrey Mokeev Anatoley Tanin | Kamaz | 8:39:56 | 16:41 | ||||||||
| 3 | Alexandre Zheludov  Andrey Rudnitskiy | Nissan | 8:36:00 | 3:24:33 | 3 | Andrey Karginov Vyatcheslav Mizyukaev Igor Devyatkin | Kamaz | 9:01:51 | 38:36 | ||||||||
| 2012 | Desafio Litoral |  Iguazu - Resistencia | 1 | Cyril Despres | KTM | 13:56:54 | 1 | Orlando Terranova Paulo Fiuza | BMW | 12:48:06 | |||||||
| 2 | Kuba Przygoński | KTM | 14:01:39 | 4:45 | 2 | Nani Roma Michel Périn | Mini | 12:14:45 | 26:39 | ||||||||
| 3 | Mauricio Gomez | Yamaha | 15:00:09 | 1:03:15 | 3 | Boris Garafulic Gilles Picard | Mini | 14:28:02 | 1:39:56 | ||||||||
| 2013 | Desafio Ruta 40 | S.S. de Jujuy - San Juan | 1 | Kurt Caselli | KTM | 18:10:20 | 1 | Nani Roma Michel Périn | Mini | 19:50:50 | |||||||
| 2 | Francisco López | KTM | 18:11:03 | 0:43 | 2 | Orlando Terranova Paulo Fiuza | Mini | 19:52:55 | 2:05 | ||||||||
| 3 | Marc Coma | KTM | 18:21:13 | 10:53 | 3 |  Marco Bulacia Benjamin Lozada | Toyota | 25:59:14 | 6:08:24 | ||||||||
| Desafio Inca |  Paracas - Paracas | 1 | Pablo Quintanilla | KTM | 11:56:05 | 1 |  Guilherme Spinelli Youssef Haddad | Mitsubishi | 11:29:40 | ||||||||
| 2 | David Casteu | Yamaha | 12:05:34 | 9:29 | 2 | Francisco León Tomas Hirahoka | Mitsubishi | 13:22:18 | 1:52:38 | ||||||||
| 3 | Eduardo Heinrich | Honda | 12:27:19 | 31:14 | 3 | Diego Weber Alonso Carrillo | Toyota | 13:39:45 | 2:10:05 | ||||||||
| 2014 | Desafio Ruta 4 | Bariloche - San Juan | 1 | Javier Pozzolito | Honda | 10:34:50 | 1 | Juan Manuel Silva Eduardo Lopez | Prototipo | 11:29:43 | |||||||
| 2 | David Casteu | KTM | 10:41:10 | 6:20 | 2 | Rodrigo Moreno Jorge Araya | Toyota | 12:14:31 | 44:48 | ||||||||
| 3 | Pablo Quintanilla | KTM | 10:47:57 | 13:07 | 3 | Martin Maldonado Sebastian Scholtz | Prototipo | 13:28:23 | 1:58:40 | ||||||||
| Desafio Guarani |  Asuncion - Encarnacion | 1 | Francisco Lopez | KTM | 4:51:09 | 1 | Juan Manuel Silva Eduardo Lopez | Colcar | 4:58:27 | ||||||||
| 2 | David Casteu | KTM | 4:53:09 | 2:00 | 2 | Viktor Rempel Vernon Rempel | Audi | 4:58:44 | 0:17 | ||||||||
| 3 | Pablo Quintanilla | KTM | 5:01:07 | 9:58 | 3 | Marco Bulacia Abel Salazar | Toyota | 5:15:11 | 16:44 | ||||||||
| Desafio Inca | Paracas - Paracas | 1 | Claudio Rodriguez | KTM | 13:00:07 | 1 | Nani Roma Michel Périn | Mini | 13:21:48 | ||||||||
| 2 | José Cornejo | Suzuki | 13:00:10 | 0:03 | 2 | Rodrigo Moreno Jorge Arraya | Wicked | 14:59:30 | 1:37:42 | ||||||||
| 3 | David Casteu | KTM | 13:04:19 | 4:12 | 3 | Diego Weber Alonso Carrillo | Toyota | 15:45:09 | 2:23:21 | ||||||||
2015:
Desafio Ruta 40: 17-23 May
- moto winner: Paulo Gonçalves (Honda)
- auto winner: Orlando Terranova/Bernard Graue (Mini)
„ Desafio Guarani: 19-25 July
- moto winner: Kevin Benavides (Honda)
- auto winner: Peter Jerie/Laurent Lichtleuchter (Toyota)
„Desafio Inca: 10-13 September
- cancelled
2016:
Merzouga Rally: 21-27 May
- moto winner: Kevin Benavides (Honda)
- quad winner: Clemens Eicker (E-ATV)
- sxs winner: Frederic Henrichy/Eric Bersey (Polaris)
2017:
Merzouga Rally: 7-12 May
- moto winner: Xavier de Soultrait (Yamaha)
- quad winner: Nicolas Cavigliasso (Yamaha)
- sxs winner: Frederic Henrichy/Eric Bersey (Polaris)
2018:
Merzouga Rally: 15-20 April
- moto winner: Joan Barreda (Honda)
- quad winner: Axel Dutrie (Yamaha)
- sxs winner: Bruno Varela/Gustavo Gugelmin (Can-Am)
2019:
Merzouga Rally: 31 March-05 April
- moto winner: Adrien van Beveren (Yamaha)
- quad winner: Axel Dutrie (Yamaha)
- sxs winner: Nasser Al-Attiyah/Matthieu Baumel (Can-Am)
Together with the Dakar Series, the A.S.O. also established the Dakar Challenge in 2011, a circuit parallel to but sometimes also internal to the Dakar Series (in fact, even the Dakar Series events can host within them a race valid for the Dakar Challenge circuit, as, for example, happened with the Desafio Inca). The Dakar Challenge changed its name in 2018, becoming the Road to Dakar.
Participants to be admitted to the Road to Dakar category must:
Thanks to this series of events, free registrations for the Dakar or automatic access to the selections for the following year's Dakar and other benefits are made available in view of participation in the final event of the season, reserved, in particular, for amateurs (as well as the debutants) best placed in the special ranking, in order to discover new talents.
The Dakar Rally or simply "The Dakar", formerly known as the "Paris–Dakar Rally", is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since the inception in 1978 were staged from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal; due to security threats in Mauritania, which led to the cancellation of the 2008 rally, events from 2009 to 2019 were held in South America. Since 2020, the rally has been held in Saudi Arabia. The event is open to amateur and professional entries, professionals typically making up about eighty percent of the participants.
Rally raid, also known as cross-country rallying, is a form of long distance off-road racing that takes place over several days. The length of the event can be as short as 2–3 days for a cross-country baja to as long as 15 days with marathon rallies like the Dakar Rally; with other cross-country rally events lasting 4–5 days. With skill in navigation being key, the driving skill and endurance of riders, drivers, co-drivers, and machines are put to the test. The total distance covered can be anywhere between 600 km to over 5,000 km with terrain ranging from sandy dunes, forest roads, mountain roads, and dry river beds; among others.
Pål Anders Ullevålseter is a Norwegian rally raid motorcycle rider.
The 2012 Desafio Litoral Rally was a first edition of rally raid endurance race held in Argentina from 23–28 July 2012. It was the first Dakar Series rally held in South America. The itinerary contained 3,454 kilometres of roads and tracks in total, including 1,840 of timed sections. It was organized by the Amaury Sport Organisation.
The 2013 Dakar Rally was the 35th running of the event and the fifth successive year that the event was held in South America. The event started in Lima, Peru on 5 January and finished in Santiago, Chile on 19 January after fourteen stages of competition. 448 vehicles in four classes of competition started the event, which comprised a total distance of over 8,500 kilometres. The motorcycle category was won by French rider Cyril Despres for a fifth time, riding a KTM; Marcos Patronelli took his second win in the quad competition riding a Yamaha; Stéphane Peterhansel captured his eleventh Dakar victory in the car category alongside co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret at the wheel of a Mini; and Eduard Nikolaev's maiden victory re-captured the truck category title for Kamaz.
The 2014 Dakar Rally was the 36th running of the event and the sixth successive year that the event was held in South America. The event started in Rosario, Argentina on January 5 and finished in Valparaíso, Chile on January 18 after 13 stages of competition. Marc Coma won his fourth title in the motorcycle category riding a KTM; Ignacio Casale took his maiden title in the quad category on a Yamaha; Nani Roma clinched victory in the car category for the first time, ten years after his sole motorcycle title, driving a Mini; and Andrey Karginov took his first truck category title for Kamaz.
Olivier Pain is a French rally-raid and enduro motorcycle rider, best known for his participation in the Dakar Rally.
The 2015 Dakar Rally was the 37th running of the event and the seventh successive year that the event was held in South America. The event started in Buenos Aires, Argentina on January 4, then ran through Argentina, Chile and Bolivia, before returning to Buenos Aires on January 17 after 13 stages of competition, for a total distance of 9,000 km (5,600 mi). For the first time, organizers reserved separate rest days for different categories so that at least two classes raced on each day.
Orlando Terranova is an Argentine rally driver, best known for his participation in the Dakar Rally.
The 2015 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship season was the 13th season of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.
Merzouga Rally is a rally raid that takes place in Morocco every year since 2010 at the beginning of October in the big dunes of Merzouga. It’s a five-day race plus prologue and a marathon stage in the desert. The stages are varied and around 200–300 km long. Navigation is the key and the competitors use the GPS Unik2, the same used on the Dakar Rally. Safety is important as well with the competitors using the Iritrack, the tracking system studied for the African rallies. Plus a professional medical staff with 4x4 ambulances and doctors on bike and quad along the track and heli-ambulance service. To meet the needs of the professional riders but also the necessities of amateurs, the Merzouga Rally features the division of the route in 2 categories: PRO: open to pro riders and those competitors ready for an ultimate challenge EXPERT: a technical and navigated route but less extreme stages as the Expert riders will cover the 75% of the complete route of the Pro riders. The Merzouga Raid: Ideal for those who face the desert for the first time. At their own pace, riding on the same route of the rally in small groups with an expert guide. The vehicles will be equipped with world track, the satellite system that allow to follow the vehicles on track in real time.. Merzouga Rally took originally place in October and then was organized in April: the 2020 edition was originally planned on May, although it was finally cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizers postponed it until its next edition on 2021, which it never took place.
The 2016 Dakar Rally was the 38th edition of the event and the eighth successive year that the event was held in South America. The event started in Buenos Aires, Argentina on January 2, then ran through Argentina and Bolivia.
The 2020 Dakar Rally was the 42nd edition of the event and the first edition held in Saudi Arabia. The event started in Jeddah on 5 January and finished in Al-Qiddiya on 17 January after 12 stages of the competition.
Ricky Brabec is an American professional off-road and rally raid motorcycle racer. He is prominent for being the first American competitor to win the motorcycle division of the Dakar Rally in 2020.
The 2021 Dakar Rally was a rally raid event held in Saudi Arabia and the 43rd edition of the Dakar Rally. The event was held for 14 days, starting from 3 January and ended 15 January 2021. It was the second time Saudi Arabia had hosted the event, with support from the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation. The race started and ended in Jeddah, allowing the competitors to venture through the desert and alongside the Red Sea. The route consists of one prologue stage and 12 normal stages, with one rest day in Ha'il on 9 January. The rally was originally intended to run through 2–3 additional countries, with Egypt and Jordan being rumoured likely candidates. However, due to travel and border restrictions implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the route stayed entirely within Saudi Arabian territory.
The 2022 Dakar Rally was a rally raid event held in Saudi Arabia and the 44th edition of the Dakar Rally organized by Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). The event took place between 1–14 January 2022. This was the third time Saudi Arabia had hosted the event, with support from the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation. The race started in Ha'il and ended in Jeddah, going through canyons and cliffs in the Neom region, passing by the Red Sea coastline, into the stretches of dunes surrounding Riyadh, with a lot more action on sand dunes in the Empty Quarter. The route consisted of one prologue stage and 12 normal stages, with one rest day in Riyadh on 8 January.
The World Rally-Raid Championship is a rally raid series organised by the Amaury Sport Organization and co-sanctioned by the FIA and FIM. The championship's seasons culminate with world championship titles in both automobile and motorcycle categories.
Gerard Farrés i Güell is a Spanish motorcycle racer of enduro and rally raid. In rally raid, he finished in third place in the motorcycle category in the 2017 Dakar Rally and won Baja Aragón in the same category in 2007, 2009 and 2011.
The 2023 Dakar Rally is a rally raid event held in Saudi Arabia and the 45th edition of the Dakar Rally organized by Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). The event takes place between 31 December 2022 and 15 January 2023. This is the fourth time Saudi Arabia has hosted the event. For the second year running, the event is also the first round of the 2023 World Rally-Raid Championship.
The 2023 World Rally-Raid Championship is the second season of the annual competition for rally raid events sanctioned by both the FIA and FIM. The Amaury Sport Organization is in the second of a five-year contract to promote the championship.
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