2023_Dakar_Rally

2023 Dakar Rally

2023 Dakar Rally

Rally event

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.

Quick Facts Host country, Dates run ...

The outline of the race route was presented on 5 June 2022. The route was started at a "Sea Camp" near Yanbu, on the Red Sea shore, and finished in Dammam, at the Persian Gulf shore. The route returned to the Empty Quarter this year with three stages, including the marathon stage. The route featured 70% new tracks, less liaison, and 5,000 kilometres of special stages. The route, details of which were revealed in November, has been described as longer, more difficult and with more dunes.[1]

Timeline

  • 6 June – 31 October 2022: Registrations
  • 28–30 November 2022: Administrative checks at Circuit Paul Ricard
  • 27–28 December 2022: Arrivals at Saudi Arabia
  • 31 December 2022: Starting podium and the Prologue Stage
  • 1 January 2023: Race start
  • 15 January 2023: Race finish

Changes

Some changes were announced for this year's event:[2]

  • Digital roadbooks for all participants, including the bikes
  • Time bonuses for bikes opening the stage
  • "Mirror routes" - in order to separate the routes some stages will be split into "A and B routes", which feature different waypoints, assigned randomly
  • No neutralizations for T1 and T2 categories - the stage will not have breaks in the middle
  • Stage start procedure - the first truck to leave will be from 45th place. No reclassification for top 40 drivers
  • Dakar Classic will follow dedicated route with 13 stages, including 2 marathon. New average speed group for less powerful vehicles
  • Introduction of "synthetic and bio fuels", with expectation that elite drivers will compete in low emission prototypes by 2026

Entry list

On 10 November 2022 ASO announced the list of competitors.[3][4][5]

In the truck category, the Kamaz and MAZ factory teams - two of the most dominant teams in the category - elected not to enter the 2023 Dakar Rally due to complaints that the FIA would force them to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine to enter. The two teams are based in Russia and Belarus, respectively.[6]

Number of entries

[7][8][9]

More information Stage, Bikes ...
  1. As of 26 November, before scrutineering
  2. At start line after the rest day
  3. To rank in the final standings, the vehicle had to pass through the finishing podium.
  4. There was no Dakar Experience category this year. As the Dakar Rally became a FIA event, the vehicles that failed to finish a stage could still continue at the next, having taken a time penalty.

Vehicles and Categories

Main article: Dakar Rally § Vehicles and classes
More information Vehicles and Categories, Category ...

Competitor list

More information Entry list — Bikes, No. ...
More information Entry list — Quads, No. ...
More information Entry list — Cars, No. ...
More information Entry list — Light Prototypes, No. ...
More information Entry list — SSV, No. ...
More information Entry list — Trucks, No. ...
More information Entry list — Classics, No. ...

Notes

    Stages

    More information Stage, Date ...
    • 1 Stage 3 was neutralized after 377 kilometers for all 4-wheel vehicles due to severe weather.[12]
    • 2 Due to flooding from the rain on January 3, a bivouac could not be established on time at Ad Dawadimi, prompting organizers to make route changes for stages 6–8. Stage 6 from Ha'il to Ad Dawadimi was reduced by roughly 100 kilometers, following which competitors would travel to a bivouac in Riyadh. The route from Ad Dawadimi to Riyadh originally scheduled to be stage 8 was moved up one day to become stage 7, while the original stage 7 route was moved to become stage 8. With the stage changes, stage 7 effectively became a "marathon" stage, where competitors are prohibited from receiving assistance from their teams during the overnight bivouac. Additionally, stage 7 was cancelled for the bikes and quads classes due to concerns for rider safety.[13][14]

    Stage winners

    More information Stage, Bikes ...

    Stage results

    Bikes

    More information Stage result, General classification ...

    Quads

    More information Stage result, General classification ...

    Cars

    More information Stage result, General classification ...

    Light Prototypes (T3)

    More information Stage result, General classification ...

    SSVs (T4)

    More information Stage result, General classification ...

    Trucks

    More information Stage result, General classification ...

    Classics

    More information Stage result, General classification ...

    Final standings

    Bikes

    More information Final standings (positions 1–10), Rank ...
    More information Final standings (positions 11–80), Rank ...

    Quads

    More information Final standings, Rank ...

    Original by Motul

    The Original by Motul class, also known as the Malle Moto class, refers to bikes and quads competitors competing without any kind of assistance. The organizers provide 1 trunk per competitor for storage of the personal belongings, spare parts and tools. Competitors are only allowed to bring 1 headlight, 1 set of wheels, 1 set of tyres, 1 tent with sleeping bag and mattress, 1 travel bag and 1x 25 liter (6.6 gallon) backpack. Organizers allow free use of the generators, compressors and tool-boxes in the bivouac.

    More information Final standings (positions 1–10), Rank ...

    Cars

    More information Final standings (positions 1–10), Rank ...
    More information Final standings (positions 11–44), Rank ...

    Light Prototypes

    More information Final standings (positions 1–10), Rank ...
    More information Final standings (positions 11–38), Rank ...

    SSVs

    More information Final standings (positions 1–10), Rank ...
    More information Final standings (positions 11–39), Rank ...

    Trucks

    More information Final standings (positions 1–10), Rank ...
    More information Final standings (positions 11–22), Rank ...

    Classics

    More information Final standings (positions 1–10), Rank ...
    More information Final standings (positions 11–22), Rank ...

    Incidents

    Stage 1. Previous year bike winner Sam Sunderland suffered an accident at the 52nd kilometer of the stage and was airlifted to Yanbu hospital with a concussion and a fractured shoulder.[16]

    Motorcyclist Bradley Cox suffered a broken elbow in an accident, forcing him to withdraw.[17]

    Michel Kremer and Thomas de Bois in the car category suffered a fuel leak, which caused the car to catch fire and burn beyond repair. The driver and the co-driver were unharmed.[18]

    Stage 3. Ricky Brabec suffered an accident at the 274th kilometer of the stage and was attended by the medical team. Brabec was transported to hospital after complaining of neck pain, ending his rally.[19]

    Stage 4. Joaquim Rodrigues suffered a fall at roughly the 90 kilometer mark of the stage and was taken to hospital in Ha’il with a broken left femur. [20]

    Lithuanian driver Benediktas Vanagas was airlifted from the stage after an accident after displaying concussion-like symptoms.[21]

    Stage 6. Audi teammates Carlos Sainz and Stéphane Peterhansel crashed in separate incidents at the same spot during kilometer 212 of the stage. Peterhansel's co-driver Édouard Boulanger suffered a broken vertebra in their accident, forcing their withdrawal from the rally.[22]

    Stage 7. Dutch driver Erik van Loon suffered a roll 99 kilometers into the stage. Van Loon was airlifted to hospital after he briefly lost consciousness and complained of neck pain after the wreck.[23]

    Stage 9. During the stage, Livio Sassinotti, an Italian spectator, died after being involved in an incident with Aleš Loprais' truck on a sand dune. Sassinotti was airlifted from the scene, but perished before reaching a hospital.[24] The incident marked the fourth consecutive year that the Dakar Rally had seen a fatality. Loprais, who was the leader of the Truck category at the time, had to miss Stage 10 pending a police investigation, and abandoned the rally.

    Spanish motorcyclist Joan Barreda suffered an accident 16 kilometers into the stage. Barreda was airlifted to a hospital with a fractured vertebra, forcing his withdrawal from the rally.[25]

    Spanish driver Carlos Sainz suffered an accident roughly six kilometers into the stage. Sainz initially was evacuated by helicopter due to back and neck pain, but requested the helicopter turn around mid-flight so that he could return to the car and try to finish the rally. Sainz managed to return the car to the bivouac, but was forced to withdraw after finding the car was too badly damaged to be repaired.[26]

    References

    1. [1]
      "2023 Dakar: the sand diagonal". Dakar.com. 2022-06-05. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
    2. [2]
      "David Castera - Dakar Future". facebook.com. 2022-06-05. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
    3. [3]
      Nguyen, Justin (November 10, 2022). "144 riders receive numbers for 2023 Dakar Rally". The Checkered Flag.
    4. [4]
      Nguyen, Justin (November 23, 2022). "Dakar 2023 Cars, Prototypes, SSVs, Trucks total 218". The Checkered Flag.
    5. [5]
      Nguyen, Justin (November 18, 2022). "2023 Dakar Classic competitors total 187 across 91 entries". The Checkered Flag.
    6. [6]
      Nguyen, Justin (September 28, 2022). "KAMAZ-master formally kills Dakar 2023 plans". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
    7. [7]
      "DK23FIM | Sportity". Archived from the original on 2023-01-16. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
    8. [8]
      "DK23FIA | Sportity". Archived from the original on 2023-01-16. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
    9. [9]
      "DAKAR23CLASSIC | Sportity". Archived from the original on 2023-01-16. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
    10. [10]
      Nguyen, Justin (December 3, 2022). "Russians Krotov, Kuzmich, Zhiltsov ready for Dakar 2023 with new licences". The Checkered Flag.
    11. [11]
      Nguyen, Justin (December 2, 2022). "Feryn Dakar Sport barred from 2023 Dakar Rally by FIA due to rollcage violations". The Checkered Flag.
    12. [12]
      Brunsdon, Stephen (January 3, 2023). "Al-Attiyah moves into Dakar lead on shortened third day". Dirtfish. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
    13. [13]
      "Modification of stages 6 and 7". dakar.com. ASO. January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
    14. [14]
      Nguyen, Justin (January 6, 2023). "2023 Dakar Rally: Stages 7 and 8 tweaked, Bikes cancelled for former". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
    15. [15]
      "2023 Rankings after stage 14". Dakar.com. ASO. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
    16. [16]
      "Dakar champion Sam Sunderland hospitalised after Stage 1 crash, Rider is out of the Dakar". motorcyclesports.net. 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
    17. [17]
      "Dakar 2023-Stage 1". dakar.com. 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
    18. [18]
      "Horrific images: Dakar car goes up in flames". racingnews365.com. 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
    19. [19]
      "Fall and withdrawal for Brabec". twitter.com. 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
    20. [20]
      "Joaquim Rodrigues falls and exits the race". twitter.com. 2023-01-04. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
    21. [21]
      Nguyen, Justin (January 4, 2023). "2023 Dakar Rally: Loeb provides bright spot for Hunters with Stage 4 win". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
    22. [22]
      Brunsdon, Stephen (January 6, 2023). "Peterhansel and Sainz both crash out of Dakar Rally". Dirtfish. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
    23. [23]
      "Al Rajhi rebounds from crash to win Dakar Rally 7th stage". The Associated Press. January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
    24. [24]
      Galan, Mario (January 10, 2023). "Spectator dies after incident in Dakar Rally". Motorsport. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
    25. [25]
      Herrero, Daniel (January 11, 2023). "Fractured vertebra for Barreda after Dakar crash". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe.com. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
    26. [26]
      Brundson, Stephen (January 10, 2023). "Valiant Sainz forced out of Dakar". Dirtfish. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
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