Epic 7,900 km two-week Dakar Rally ready to rumble
Dakar 2024 starts on Friday. 354 crews comprising 72 cars, 137 motorcycles and 10 quads, 78 Challenger cars and SSVs, and 46 Trucks will line up to start the short, sharp 28 km prologue to determine starting positions for Saturday’s 532 km first day of real racing 4,727 km of a total of 7,000 kilometres over two weeks to Yanbu on Friday 19 January.
Of the 72 cars entered in Dakar 2024, thirty eight were built in South Africa. 23 Toyota Hiluxes, 12 Centurys, three Red-Lined, and two Ford Rangers. That’s more than half the field! Twelve South Africans will also either drive or navigate, with a literal army of South Africans supporting the race in the bivouac.
Double reigning champion, Toyota Gazoo Racing has entered five Hallspeed, Kyalami built Dakar Hiluxes. South Africans Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy, Guy Botterill and Brett Cummings, and rookie Saood Variawa with French notes man Francois Cazaletare are backed by third last year, Brazilian Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleon, and American side-by side graduate Seth Quintero and Dennis Zenz.
TreasuryONE back with a Hilux
Among the rest of the Toyota Hilux army another South African crew, 2018 Rookie winner Hennie de Klerk and Juan Möhr race a WCT built TreasuryONE Hilux. Add Saudi home hero Yazeed Al Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk, former Le Mans winner Frenchman Romain Dumas and Max Delfino and never underestimate compatriots, Guerlain Chicherit and Alex Winocq.
Ford officially returns to Dakar with a pair of SA developed and built M-Sport Ford World Rally Team NWR Rangers. One for South African rookies Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer, with Spanish Dakar legend Nani Roma and Alex Haro Bravo aboard the second car. Plus quick Czech privateers Martin Prokop and Viktor Chytka’s Raptor.
Johannesburg’s Century Racing is back with a split two-car effort for SA crew Brian Baragwanath and Leonard Cremer’s all-new all-wheel drive T1+ Ultimate class CR7-T, and Frenchmen Mathieu Serradori and Loic Minaudier chasing the T1.2 class win with their rear-driven CR6-T. Add Dutch twins Tim and Tom Coronel, Spanish lass Laia Sanz and eight more privateer Century cars to the list.
Red-Lined chasing more Dakar glory
2023 Amateur T1.1 class winners, South Africa’s Red-Lined has teamed up with ’23 Chinese T1.2 4×2 class winner Wei Han and Li Ma who make their top class T1+ debut in a HanWei Motorsport Red-Lined entry REVO+ T1+. There are two more REVO+ for teen lady sensation Aliyyah Koloc and Sebastien Delaunay, and Belgian rookie Stefan Carmans and Antonius van Tiel.
The South African armada must first overcome a few significant rivals to win again. Gazoo Racing refugee, and reigning champions, Qatari Dakar legend Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel race a Prodrive Hunter alongside nine-time World Rally Champion, Frenchman Sebastien Loeb, still looking for his maiden Dakar win alongside Fabian Lurquin.
Audi Sport returns for its swansong Dakar with trio of petrol-electric hybrids. Mr. Dakar, Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel is chasing his fifteenth win alongside Edouard Boulanger. Spanish teammate, double former World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz Snr is looking for his fourth Dakar victory with Lucas Cruz, and Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist in a third Audi.
Keep an eye on the X-Raid Minis, notably Pole Krzysztof Holowczyc and Lukasz Kurzeja, and Lithuanian Vaidotas Zala and Paulo. And a fleet of MD buggies chasing 4×2 honours led by the likes of Christian Lavieille and Valentin Sarreaud, and Simon Vitse and Frederic Lefebvre. And a pair of Chinese BAIC entries for Guoyu Zhang and Zi Yunliang and Sha He.
A strong SA bike contingent too
Moving on to two wheels, the Dakar Motorcycle race is always close and intense, and usually goes right down to the wire. There is once again a significant South African contingent among the bikers. Looking at the frontrunners, it seems that Dakar 2024 will once gain be a very close-run race.
Husqvarna has only one machine entered for reigning Dakar bike champion, Argentine Luciano Benavides. Sister brand KTM a trio of factory bikes for former winners, second overall last year, Aussie Toby Price, and Luciano’s brother, Kevin Benavides. GasGas has another two former winners, Brit Sam Sunderland, and Aussie Daniel Sanders in the saddle.
Honda quite literally has a Monster team. It includes Chileans Pablo Quintanilla and Jose Florimo, Americans Ricky Brabec and Skyler Howes, Frenchman Adrien van Beveren and Spaniard Schareina Tosha. Factory riders, Spaniard Lorenzo Santolino, Portuguese Rui Gonçalves and Indian Harith Koitha Veetti ride for Sherco.
Ross Branch an exciting prospect
Hero Motorsports has a strong factory effort together. Spanish Honda refugee Joan Barreda joins German Sebastian Bühler, Portuguese Joaquim Rodrigues, and Botswana hero Ross Branch. Ross is one of eight Southern African riders entered in the 2024 bike race. He rides alongside KTM privateers Bradley Cox on his third Dakar, and 2023 rookie winner Michael Docherty on another KTM.
South Africa’s 2023 Malle Moto winner Charan Moore is back but riding his Husqvarna with assistance this time. Stuart Gregory continues in Malle Moto on his KTM. Also watch for former multiple SA motocross and Cross Country champion Kerim Fitz-Gerald making his Dakar debut on a KTM. Fellow rookies, Ronald Venter rides a KTM and Zimbabwean Ashley Thixton, a Husqvarna.
The Dakar quads are a dying breed with only ten entries this year. Watch for Lithuanians Laisvydas Kancius and Antanas Kanopkinas, Slovakian Juraj Varga. French rider Alexandre Giroud, and Argentine duo Francisco Moreno Flores and Manuel Andujar are also among them.
Dakar: two weeks of hell on earth?
The Challenger class sees Rokas Baciuska, Francisco Contardo, and swift Spanish lass Cristina Gutierrez facing Polish family Goczal, Eryk, Marek and Michal. Add Mitch Guthrie, Austin Jones, Ignacio Casale and Alvaro Leon. João Ferreira fights it out for SSV glory. Against Gerard Farres Guell, Xavier de Soultrait and Florent Vayssade, and home hero Yasir Seaidan.
Dakar would however not be Dakar without the trucks, and 2024 is no exception. Iveco has Janus van Kasteren, Mitchel and Martin van den Brink defending its ’23 honours. Its up against Tatra drivers Valtr Jaroslav and Martin Soltys, Ales Loprais in a lone Praga. And Teruhito Sugawara drives the only Hino in Dakar 2024.
Dakar 2024 starts with the 28 km Prologue on Friday before 532 km to Al Henakiyah Saturday. Then its 662 km to Al Duwadimi, 733 km to Al Salamiya and 631 km to Al Hofuf, before 727 km to Shubaytah. The 2-day 818 km stage follows to Saturday’s rest day. Then its another gruelling week of racing to the Friday 19 January finish at Yanbu. Follow each day’s action right here on Auto every afternoon for the next two weeks!