List of Dakar Rally fatal accidents

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This is a list of Dakar Rally fatal accidents involving both competitors and non-competitors who have died during a Dakar Rally event.

Contents

Since 1979, 79 people are known to have died as a result of the Dakar rally. Among the 33 competitor fatalities, 24 were motorcycle related, 6 car related, 1 truck related, and 2 competitors died as a result of local rebel conflict. Up to 1992, collision was the most common cause of death among competitors.

Among the 46 non-competitor fatalities are those of the race's founder Thierry Sabine, 14 news journalists and support crew, 23 spectators, and 4 children.

The Dakar Rally has received criticism because of its high mortality rates, with the Vatican Paper describing the event as "the bloody race of irresponsibility". [1] The event received particular criticism in the 1988 race, when three Africans were killed in collisions with vehicles involved in the race. PANA, a Dakar-based news agency, wrote that the deaths were "insignificant for the [race's] organizers". [2] The Dakar organizers have not officially recorded or reported on African and Latin American spectator and innocent bystanders deaths. [3] As a result, fatality numbers for the Dakar vary from source to source, and bystander victims usually remain unnamed.

List of fatal accidents involving competitors

NoNameDatePlaceStageVehicleType
1 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Patrice Dodin  [ de ]January 1979 Agadez, Niger AgadezTahoua Yamaha XT 500 Motorcycle
Dodin, a French expatriate in Africa, lost control of his Yamaha while adjusting his helmet and fell approaching the start of the stage Agadez-Tahoua, hitting his head on a stone, sustaining a skull fracture. He was transferred to a hospital in Paris where he later died. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
2 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Bert Oosterhuis  [ nl ]7 January 1982Ecker, Algeria Quatre CheminsTit Yamaha XT 570Motorcycle
Oosterhuis, former road racing champion in the Netherlands, was killed between Bordj Omar Driss and Tit in Algeria. He was 41 years of age. [7] [9] [10]
3 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Jean-Noël Pineau14 January 1983 Léo, Upper Volta In-GallKorhogo Yamaha XT 550Motorcycle
In his fourth rally, Team Yamaha-France rider Pineau was killed on a section of tarmac near Léo when he collided with a military vehicle. His best finish was third overall. [7] [11]
4 Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Yasuo Kaneko2 January 1986 Sète, France VersaillesSète Honda XR 500 Motorcycle
In his second start in the Dakar Rally, a non-entrant Peugeot 205 crashed into Kaneko's motorcycle at 01:30 on Thursday, 2 January 1986, about eight kilometres before the harbour of Sète, killing him instantly. The unnamed driver of the car was believed to have been driving under the influence of alcohol. Kaneko was 41 years of age. [7] [12]
5 Flag of Italy.svg Giampaolo Marinoni  [ it ]24 January 1986 Dakar, Senegal Saint LouisDakar Cagiva Elefant 650Motorcycle
Marinoni, a test rider of production motorcycles for Cagiva and in his second rally, fell 40 km from the finish line at the final stage of the rally. He managed to reach the finish line in thirteenth place amongst 131 starters and 29 finishers of riders. Initially Marinoni did not feel that one of the brake levers of his Lucky Explorer-Cagiva had hurt his liver during the fall. He later arrived to be treated for his injuries in a hospital in Dakar, he succumbed to an infection two days later. [13]
6 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Jean-Claude Huger17 January 1988 Nampalari TombouctouBamako BMW R 100 GS Motorcycle
Huger was an escort rider for the President of the Republic of France and motorcyclist of the Gendarmerie Nationale. He crashed his BMW RT100 into a ditch near Nampala and hit his head on a rock, sustaining cranial trauma and lapsing into a coma. He was airlifted to Paris where he died two days later without regaining consciousness. [14] [15] [16]
7 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Kees van Loevezijn9 January 1988 Djado, Niger DjadoAgadez DAF FAV3600 95X2Truck
Theo van de Rijt, driver, Kees van Loevezijn, engineer, and Chris Ross from Scotland, were in a factory-entered DAF which had won its class the previous year. They hit a sand dune at about 180 km/h 20 km from the start of a 666 km (414 mi) leg and somersaulted several times, destroying the truck. Van Loevezijn was thrown out of the truck and died instantly. Van de Rijt and Ross were taken to a hospital in Agadez and airlifted to the Netherlands where they recovered. DAF withdrew the team from the rally and later terminated all motor-sport activities, selling the trucks and spare parts to factory driver Jan De Rooy's team. De Rooy re-entered the rally in 2002, at the age of 58. [7] [15] [16] [17]
8 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Patrick Canado9 January 1988 Arlit, Niger DjadoAgadez Range Rover Automobile
During the seventh stage of the rally, Djado-Agadez, on a large desert road, the Range Rover of French team René Boubet and Patrick Canado and the Mercedes-Benz 280 of Italian team Klaus Seppi and Ambrogio Azzuffi collided at full speed some 25 km from the start of Arlit. Boubet's car, as it had steering problems, suddenly swerved into the other car and rolled several times. Co-driver Canado was thrown out of the car and was killed instantly; Boubet was seriously injured. [7] [15] [16] [18]
9 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg François Picquot3 January 1991 ?, Libya Ghadames—Idri Nissan Terrano Automobile
During the second stage of the rally, Jacques Houssat, at the wheel of a Perlini P105 truck, crashed into the Henri de Roissard's and François Picquot's Nissan Patrol. The latter sustained head injuries and broken pelvis; he was airlifted to a hospital in France, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Houssat was eventually the winner of the truck category. [19]
10 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Charles Cabannes13 January 1991In Kadeouane, Mali Tombouctou—Néma Mercedes-BenzTruck
Cabannes, a support truck driver for the Citroën factory team, was shot dead by rebels at the side of the road in the small village of In Kadeouane during the 8th stage of the rally. His co-driver Joël Guyomarc'h had a superficial wound. The killing was not claimed by any rebel organization in the following days but was believed to be related to the conflict between the Malian army and Tuareg rebels. Organisers cancelled the following two rounds on schedule and the Malian army escorted the competitors while passing through the country. After the incident, team Nissan-Spain withdrew from the race. [7] [16] [20] [21]
11 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Laurent Le Bourgeois27 December 1991Sabha, Libya Sirte—Sabha Land Rover Defender Automobile
12 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Jean-Marie Sounillac
The Land Rover Defender of Laurent Le Bourgeois and Jean-Marie Sounillac was an assistance vehicle for Jean-Louis Schlesser's prototype buggy "Le Duc de Bourgogne". It overturned several times in the Libyan desert of Sabah just a few kilometers before the end of the fifth stage of the rally. The impact of the crash caused the roll-bar of the car to collapse and both the occupants were crushed and killed at the scene. [7] [22]
13 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Gilles Lalay 7 January 1992Lumonbo, Congo-Brazzaville Francaville—Pointe-Noire Yamaha-Byrd YZE750TMotorcycle
Two hours after the end of the Francaville-Pointe Noire stage in Congo, 1989 winner Lalay, who finished fourth on the stage, was en route to the bivouac, when he was struck head-on by a Toyota belonging to the medical-assistance of the event organisers TSO (Thierry Sabine Organization). Lalay was taken to hospital at Lumonbo, where he succumbed to his injuries some hours later. [7] [23]
14 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Michel Sansen4 January 1994 Nouakchott, Mauritania NouakchottDakar BMWMotorcycle
During the 8th stage, Sansen on his fifth start of the rally, running at speed on asphalt, suddenly lost control over a strip of sand, causing him to fall off, killing himself instantly. His nephew Jean-Philippe Miglotte, on another BMW, later immediately withdrew from the event following his uncle's death. [7] [24] [25]
15 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Laurent Gueguen3 January 1996Forum El Hassam, Morocco El Hassan—Smara Mercedes-BenzTruck
While attempting to complete the 5th stage, Gueguen, driving a Mercedes-Benz truck (support vehicle for the Citroën team), got caught up in a conflict between the Moroccan army and the Polisario Front rebels. Following the stage, on a desert track some 400 meters from the signed path, the vehicle struck an abandoned Moroccan army land mine, causing it to explode, overturn, and burst into flames from the impact, killing him instantly. Gueguen's co-drivers, Pascal Laudenot and Vincent Bauden, were able to escape from the wreckage, while Gueguen, who was driving at the moment of the accident, died. [7] [16] [21] [26]
16 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Jean-Pierre Leduc5 January 1997 Tambacounda, Mali TambacoundaKayes KTMMotorcycle
French amateur rider Jean-Pierre Leduc, on his debut rally, fell off and was killed instantly, after riding for 247 km of the second-stage rally. [7] [27] [28]
17 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Daniel Vergnes8 January 2002 Aleg, Mauritania AtârTidjikja Toyota Land Cruiser Automobile
During the 11th stage, the Toyota, which was entered in the rally as back-up car, rolled off a treacherous stretch of desert road en route to the stage finish in Tidjikja, throwing out Vergnes, the mechanic of the Toyota Trophy team, and he died hours later. His three teammates, Briton Sheona Dorson-King, Belgium's Christophe Van Rief, and France's Benoît Agoyer, were all taken to hospital in Nouakchott. It is not known who was driving the car when the accident occurred. [7] [29]
18 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Bruno Cauvy11 January 2003 ?, Libya Zilla—Sarir Toyota Land Cruiser Automobile
Daniel Nebot's and Bruno Cauvy's Toyota rolled over at high speed 265 km (165 mi) into the stage between Zilla and Sarir. The medical helicopter reached the overturned vehicle half an hour later; by then the co-driver Cauvy, who was on his debut rally, had died from his injuries; Nebot escaped with a few injuries. [3] [16] [28] [30] [31] [32]
19 Flag of Spain.svg José Manuel Pérez6 January 2005Zouérat—TichitKTM 660RMotorcycle
Perez, in his fourth rally, sustained injuries to his stomach when he fell off his bike before the first checkpoint of the seventh stage from Zouérat to Tichit in Mauritania. He was immediately treated by the medical teams of the rally, who transferred him to the bivouac in Zouérat by helicopter. During an emergency procedure, he had his spleen, part of the liver and one kidney removed. He was later transferred to the Clinique du Cap in Dakar, Senegal, but his condition continued to worsen. He was airlifted to a hospital in Alicante, Spain, where he was put in intensive care and died a few hours later, three days after his accident. [3] [7] [16] [33]
20 Flag of Italy.svg Fabrizio Meoni 11 January 2005 AtârKiffa KTM 660RMotorcycle
Meoni, winner of the rally in 2001 and 2002, crashed a few minutes after the first checkpoint during the 11th stage rally, breaking his neck. A witness to the crash, fellow rider David Fretigne, signaled for medical attention. By the time a medical helicopter arrived, they were unable to revive him; his cause of death was heart failure. As grieving riders were unable to continue racing the next day, organisers cancelled the twelfth stage for all motorcyclists out of respect of Meoni. The rally was his 13th and was to be his last. He had held the lead until losing it on the previous leg to the eventual winner, Cyril Despres. [3] [7] [16] [34] [35]
21 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Andy Caldecott 9 January 2006Ouassane, Mauritania NouakchottKiffa KTM 660RMotorcycle
Caldecott, standing in for injured Spaniard Jordi Duran to ride in the factory KTM team, was killed instantly when he crashed halfway through a stage between Nouakchott and Kiffa in Mauritania. His best finish was sixth in the previous year. [16] [36] [37] [38]
22 Flag of South Africa.svg Elmer Symons 9 January 2007Boumaine Dades, Morocco Er RachidiaOuarzazate KTM 660RMotorcycle
Symons had participated in the 2005 and 2006 rally as a support mechanic and was making his debut as a rider. He crashed his privateer KTM and died at the scene 142 km into the fourth stage. The emergency helicopter arrived within eight minutes of his emergency alert beacon triggering, but was unable to do anything other than record his death. He was in 18th place for motorcycles overall, and led the Marathon class after the previous stage. Symons was the rally's 49th fatality. [16] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43]
23 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Éric Aubijoux 20 January 2007 Dakar, Senegal TambacoundaDakar Yamaha 450WRFMotorcycle
During the 14th and penultimate stage Tambacounda and Dakar, Aubijoux, in his sixth rally, suffered a massive heart attack about 15 km from the finish line at Dakar, Senegal. He fell and died on the spot. Initially it was thought that this was due to heart failure. [44] Investigation found that the cause of death was the result of an accident. [45] [46] To add further confusion, his bike was revealed to be undamaged and he was believed to have pulled over feeling unwell and then collapsed due to a seizure. He never regained consciousness and died at the scene. He was declared 18th position overall. It was later suggested that Aubijoux died of internal injuries sustained in a crash earlier that day while competing in the 14th stage of the race. [16] [47] [48] [49]
24 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Pascal Terry4 January 2009Cuchillo Cò, La Pampa, Argentina Santa Rosa de la PampaPuerto Madryn Yamaha 450WRFMotorcycle
At the second stage of the rally, Terry, in his debut rally, ran out of fuel and sent out an emergency signal to organisers. It was believed that the organisers were misinformed that Terry had reported back to the Dakar caravan at the end of the stage, therefore the search was abandoned, but it turned out to be his brother, also a competitor, who was in the camp. Terry was missing for three days; he was found dead fifty metres from his motorcycle. His cause of death was pulmonary edema, and it was believed that he likely died late Sunday evening or early Monday morning and that his life could have been saved had the search operation begun promptly. [16] [50] [51] [52] [53]
25 Flag of Argentina.svg Jorge Andrés Martínez Boero 1 January 2012 Mar del Plata, Argentina Mar del Plata-Santa Rosa de la Pampa Beta RR 450 Modele 2011Motorcycle
He died following a crash on the opening day.
26 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Thomas Bourgin 11 January 2013 Andes, Chile Calama-Salta KTMMotorcycle
Bourgin was killed in a road accident with a Chilean police car while travelling to the start of the day's stage. [54]
27 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Eric Palante 10 January 2014Northern Argentina Chilecito-Salta HondaMotorcycle
Officials found Palante's body after he failed to finish the stage. [55]
28 Flag of Poland.svg Michał Hernik6 January 2015 Argentina San Juan-Chilecito KTMMotorcycle
Officials found Hernik's body after he failed to finish the stage.
29 Flag of Portugal.svg Paulo Gonçalves 12 January 2020 Saudi Arabia Riyadh-Wadi Al-Dawasir HeroMotorcycle
A helicopter was sent to the scene where medics found Gonçalves unconscious, having gone into cardiac arrest. He was airlifted to Layla Hospital where he was pronounced dead. [56] After consultation with the riders, the organizers decided to cancel the next stage for bikes and quads.
30 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Edwin Straver 24 January 2020 Saudi Arabia Shubaytah-Haradh KTMMotorcycle
After a low-speed crash in the 11th stage on 16 January 2020, Straver was resuscitated at the scene. It took emergency workers 10 minutes to get his heart beating again. He was rushed to a hospital in Riyadh, where examination showed that he had broken one of his upper neck vertebrae. After being in critical condition for over a week, Edwin was taken off assisted respiration and died on 24 January. [57]
31 Flag of France.svg Pierre Cherpin14 January 2021 Saudi Arabia Ha'il-Sakaka HusqvarnaMotorcycle
Cherpin crashed 178 km into the 7th stage on 11 January. He was airlifted to hospital in Sakaka where he was diagnosed with severe head trauma and placed in an induced coma following emergency neurosurgery. He was then transferred to a hospital in Jeddah, and from there was transferred to Lille. Cherpin died from his injuries mid-flight en route to Lille on 14 January. [58]
32 Flag of France.svg Quentin Lavallée14 January 2022 Saudi Arabia Bisha-Jeddah  ?Automobile
Lavallée, the chief mechanic for the PH-Sport team in the Classics class, was driving an assistance car when he collided with a local truck roughly 234 km into the liaison for the final stage of the rally. Lavallée was killed at the scene, aged 20. His passenger, Belgian Maxime Frère, was injured, but remained conscious and was transported to hospital. [59]
33 Flag of Spain.svg Carles Falcón 15 January 2024 Saudi Arabia Al Henakiyah - Ad Dawadimi KTMMotorcycle
Near the end of Stage 2 on 7 January, Falcón suffered a severe crash and was initially found without a pulse before being airlifted to Al Duwadimi hospital. Falcón suffered a cerebral oedema due to the fracture of the C2 vertebra, as well as a fractures to five ribs, the left wrist and the collarbone. Falcón died from his injuries eight days later. [60]

List of fatal accidents involving non-competitors

NoNameDatePlaceStageVehicleType
1 Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Carisi6 January 1981 In Salah, Algeria Fiat Campagnola Automobile
2 Flag of Italy.svg Giuseppe De Tommaso
3 Flag of Italy.svg Franco Druetta
During a displacement stage, a support Fiat Campagnola following the 1981 Paris-Dakar, went off the road and rolled several times, killing all three Italian occupants. [61]
4 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Ursula ZentschJanuary ? 1982 Markala, Mali Temaouine—Gao Mercedes-BenzTruck
Journalist [62]
5 Flag of Mali.svg UnknownJanuary ? 1982 Mali n/an/a
Passer-by [63]
6 Flag of Burkina Faso.svg UnknownJanuary ? 1984 Upper Volta n/an/a
Spectator [64]
7 Flag of Niger.svg UnknownJanuary ? 1985 Niger n/an/a
Spectator [65]
8 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Philippe BeauJanuary ? 1985  ?, Mauritania TichitKiffa Helicopter
Pilot [66]
9 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg François-Xavier Bagnoud14 January 1986Gourma Rharous, Mali NiameyGourma Eurocopter Ecureuil Helicopter
10 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Jean-Paul Lefur
11 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Nathalie Odent
12 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Thierry Sabine
13 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Daniel Balavoine
The helicopter crashed into a dune during a sudden sand-storm. The accident took the life of the founder and organizer of the Dakar, Thierry Sabine, and four other persons: a well-known French pop singer Daniel Balavoine, the journalist Nathalie Odent, a radio engineer Jean-Paul Lefur and the helicopter pilot François-Xavier Bagnoud. [3] [7] [15] [16] [67]
14 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Henri MourenJanuary 1987 Kiffa, Mauritania Tidjikja—AtarAutomobile
Support crew [68]
15 Flag of Mali.svg Baye Sibi18 January 1988Kitta, Mali BamakoKayes n/an/a
Pedestrian [3] [15] [16] [69]
16 Flag of Mauritania (1959-2017).svg Unknown21 January 1988Mauritania NouakchottRichard Toll n/an/a
17 Flag of Mauritania (1959-2017).svg Unknown
Spectator [16] [70]
18 Flag of Senegal.svg Unknown22 January 1988 Dakar, Senegal Richard TollDakar n/an/a
Spectator [16] [71]
19 Flag of Finland.svg Kaj Salminen9 January 1990 Markala, Mali Tidjika—Kayes Automobile
Finnish journalist Kaj Salminen was killed when the service-car he was driving crashed into a parked tractor during the 16th stage. [62]
20 Flag of Chad.svg Unknown2 January 1992Rig Rig, Chad N'DjamenaSarh n/an/a
21 Flag of Chad.svg Unknown
Spectators [72]
22 Flag of Spain.svg Tomás Urpí1 January 1996 OujdaEr Rachidia Automobile
Spectator [73]
23 Flag of Guinea.svg Unknown12 January 1996Ecker, Algeria KayesLabé n/an/a
Pedestrian [74]
24 Flag of Mauritania (1959-2017).svg Unknown12 January 1998 Nouakchott, Mauritania Displacementn/an/a
25 Flag of Mauritania (1959-2017).svg Unknown
26 Flag of Mauritania (1959-2017).svg Unknown
27 Flag of Mauritania (1959-2017).svg Unknown
28 Flag of Mauritania (1959-2017).svg Unknown
French team Francis Bouney and Guy Aliphat crashed their Toyota 11TJ80 into a minibus during their displacement stage. [75]
29 Flag of Burkina Faso.svg Unknown8 January, 1999 Burkina Faso NioroBobo-Dioulasso n/aAutomobile
French competitor Henri De Roissard lost control of his Nissan Terrano and crashed into a vehicle of the Burkina Faso gendarmerie. The policeman who was at the wheel died several hours later. [76]
30 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Unknown28 December 2001 ChâteaurouxNarbonne n/aAutomobile
During the 2nd stage, a French citizen crashed into an assistance car from the rally. [77]
31 Flag of Senegal.svg Unknown11 January 2005 ChâteaurouxNarbonne n/aAutomobile
During the displacement stage of the assistance trucks to the finish-line in Senegal territory about 160 km from Dakar, a five-year-old Senegalese girl ran onto the main road in the path of a service lorry, where she was crushed beneath its wheels. [16] [78]
32 Flag of Guinea.svg Boubacar Diallo12 January 2006Kourahoye, Labé, Guinea LabéTambacounda n/an/a
Diallo, a 10-year-old boy from the Guinean village of Kourahoye, was watching the rally with his parents when he was struck by a competitor's car when he attempted to cross the road. He was being transported by helicopter to Labé when he died. [16] [79] [80] [81]
33 Flag of Senegal.svg Mohamed N'Daw14 January 2006 Kaffrine, Senegal TambacoundaDakar n/an/a
N'Daw was hit by a rally car driven by Maris Saukans of Latvia in the late morning on the RN1 road at the 200 km point of the penultimate stage between Tambacounda and Dakar. He was twelve years of age, Saukans later withdrew from the rally. Rally organisers decided that the final round would not be timed due to the incidents in the final few days that marred the rally. [16] [82] [83] [84] [85]
34 Flag of Chile.svg Roberto de la Cruz Vera Hernández9 January 2009Pejerreyes, Ovalle, Chile displacementn/aAutomobile
35 Flag of Peru.svg Freddy Arucutipa Torres
During a displacement stage, a non-competing support truck of Argentinean Marcelo Fabián Sánchez, carrying tyres for the competitors, lost control and struck a car head-on at route D-43 which joins La Serena and Ovalle, killing two of its passengers instantly. The other two occupants of the car were taken to a hospital in Ovalle for treatment. Sánchez was detained for further questioning. [67] [86] [87] [88]
36 Flag of Argentina.svg Natalia Sonia Gallardo2 January 2010 Río Cuarto, Argentina ColónCórdoba n/an/a
During the first stage of the rally, 28-year-old Natalia Gallardo was killed after she and a group of spectators were involved in an accident with the Desert Warrior 4×4 of Mirco Schultis and Ulrich Leardi, which had veered off course near the town of Río Cuarto, some 800 km (500 mi) from Buenos Aires. Four other fans were injured, two of whom were transferred to Córdoba for further treatment. [89]
37 Flag of Argentina.svg Marcelo Reales13 January 2011Catamarca, Argentina Chilecito-San Juán Toyota HiluxCar
In stage 11, Eduardo Amor's Toyota Hilux went out-of-control and crashed with 42-year-old Marcelo Reales's car. [90]
38 Flag of Argentina.svg Luis SoldaviniJanuary 2, 2012Orense, Argentina Santa Rosa-San Rafael n/aLight plane
39 Flag of Argentina.svg Tomás Soldavini
In stage 2, their aircraft crashed while they were watching the race from the air. Luis was 37 and his son 11 years old. [91]
40 Flag of Peru.svg Unknown11 January 2013Tacna, Peru -TaxiAutomobile
41 Flag of Peru.svg Unknown
Two Peruvian spectators were killed in a head-on collision road traffic accident between a Land Rover Defender support team vehicle and two taxis. [92]
42 Flag of Argentina.svg Agustín Ignacio Mina10 January 2014Northern Argentina --Automobile
43 Flag of Argentina.svg Daniel Eduardo Ambrosio
Mina, a motorsports journalist, along with Ambrosio, died when their vehicle overturned. [55]
44 Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg Máximo Riso9 January 2016near Uyuni, Bolivia -n/aAutomobile
A 65-year-old Bolivian spectator was killed after he was hit by a Mitsubishi vehicle driven by Frenchman Lionel Baud. The incident took place on the 82nd km of the Uyuni – Salta stage. [93] [94]
45 Flag of Argentina.svg Unknown12 January 2016 Córdoba, Argentina -n/aAutomobile
An Argentinian driver was killed in a traffic accident involving Lionel Baud's assistance vehicle. Baud's car was being transported to Buenos Aires in order to be shipped off to Europe after his retirement due to the fatal accident of a Bolivian spectator three days before. [95]
46 Flag of Italy.svg Livio Sassinotti10 January 2023 Saudi Arabia RiyadhHaradh n/a ?
During stage 9 of the 2023 rally, 69-year-old Livio Sassinotti was photographing behind a sand dune when truck driver Aleš Loprais collided with him. [96] The spectator was evacuated by helicopter, but died before reaching a hospital. [97] Loprais withdrew from the race after being informed of the news. [96]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Dakar Rally</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Dakar Rally</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Dakar Rally</span> 38th edition of the Dakar Rally

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Dakar Rally</span> 42nd edition of the Dakar Rally, held in Saudi Arabia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Dakar Rally</span> Rally raid event in Saudi Arabia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Dakar Rally</span> Rally event

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 2023 Dakar Rally was 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 2024 Dakar Rally was a rally raid event held in Saudi Arabia. It was the 46th edition of the Dakar Rally, organized by Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), and the 5th time Saudi Arabia has hosted the event.

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