Editing Dakar Rally (section)

== History ==

===Predecessors===

The Mediterranean Rally (also known as [[Algiers-Cape Town Rally]]) was a trans-Africa rally run in 5 editions between 1951 and 1961.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://crankhandleclub.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/201712CHC-trans-africa-rallies.pdf|title=The Trans-Africa Rallies|publisher=crankhandleclub.co.za |date=2017-12-12 |access-date=2022-04-01}}</ref> It evolved from the original mixed road and off-road rally to a fully off-road endurance event, during the pioneer years of trans-Africa rallies.

===Crossing the Sahara===
The race originated in December 1977, a year after [[Thierry Sabine]] got lost in the [[Ténéré desert]] whilst competing in the 1975 "Rallye Côte-Côte" between Abidjan and Nice<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nicematin.com/insolite/quatre-choses-que-vous-ignorez-sans-doute-sur-le-raid-abidjan-nice-lancetre-du-dakar-198909?t=MzdhNGU3ZWM0MjE0MmUzZmI1MGQ4MjNiMDdlODczNGZfMTYwMDgxNjk2NDI5N18xOTg5MDk%3D&tp=viewpay|title=Four things you probably didn't know about the Abidjan-Nice raid, the ancestor of the Dakar|first=Benoit|last=Guglielmi|date=12 January 2018|publisher=Nice Matin| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180112133733/https://www.nicematin.com/insolite/quatre-choses-que-vous-ignorez-sans-doute-sur-le-raid-abidjan-nice-lancetre-du-dakar-198909 | archive-date = 2018-01-12 | language=fr}}</ref> and decided that the desert would be a good location for a regular rally, on the lines of the [[1974 London–Sahara–Munich World Cup Rally]], the first automobile race to cross the [[Sahara Desert]] twice.<ref name="History">{{cite web|url=http://www.dakar.com/dakar/2014/us/history.html|title=History|publisher=Dakar.com |access-date=2014-01-07}}</ref><ref name=WC>{{Cite web|url=http://www.londoncapetownrally.com/worldcups.html|title=The E.R.A. – London to Cape Town Rally – World Cup Rally Series|website=www.londoncapetownrally.com}}</ref>

In 1971, ex-[[Cream (band)|Cream]] drummer [[Ginger Baker]] used the unproven [[Range Rover]] to drive from [[Algeria]] to [[Lagos, Nigeria]] to set up a recording studio and jam with [[Fela Kuti]]. Predating the Paris-Dakar Rally the subsequent documentary is replete with such terrain, and documents the vehicle's endurance.<ref>Ginger Baker in Africa (1971) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80LfQZUxeP0</ref>

===Early growth===
182 vehicles took the start of the [[1979 Dakar Rally|inaugural rally]] in [[Paris]], with 74 surviving the {{convert|10,000|km|adj = on}} trip to the [[Senegal]]ese capital of [[Dakar]]. [[Cyril Neveu]] was the event's first winner, riding a [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] motorcycle. The event rapidly grew in popularity, with 216 vehicles taking the start in [[1980 Dakar Rally|1980]] and 291 in [[1981 Dakar Rally|1981]].<ref name="retrospective">{{cite web|url=http://netstorage.lequipe.fr/ASO/dakar/2015/historique/historique-dakar-1979-2014_fr.pdf|title=Dakar: Retrospective, 1979-2014|publisher=Dakar.com|access-date=2016-01-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215219/http://netstorage.lequipe.fr/ASO/dakar/2015/historique/historique-dakar-1979-2014_fr.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-03|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[privateer]] spirit of early racers tackling the event with limited resources encouraged such entrants as Thierry de Montcorgé in a Rolls-Royce and [[Formula One|Formula 1]] driver [[Jacky Ickx]] with actor [[Claude Brasseur]] in a [[Citroën CX]], in the 1981 race won by two-time winner [[Hubert Auriol]].<ref name="History"/>

In [[1982 Dakar Rally|1982]], there were 382 racers, more than double the number that took the start in 1979. Neveu won the event for a third time, this time riding a [[Honda]] motorcycle, while victory in the car class went to the Marreau brothers, driving a privately entered [[Renault 20]]. Auriol captured his second bikes class victory in 1983, the first year that Japanese manufacturer [[Mitsubishi Motors|Mitsubishi]] competed in the rally, beginning an association that would last until 2009.

At the behest of 1983 car class winner Jacky Ickx, [[Porsche]] entered the Dakar in [[1984 Dakar Rally|1984]], with the total number of entries now at 427.<ref name="retrospective"/> The German marque won the event at their first attempt courtesy of [[René Metge]], who had previously won in the car category in 1981, whilst Ickx finished sixth. [[Gaston Rahier]] meanwhile continued BMW's success in the motorcycle category with back-to-back wins in 1984 and [[1985 Dakar Rally|1985]], the year of Mitsubishi's first victory of 12 in the car category, [[Patrick Zaniroli]] taking the spoils. The [[1986 Dakar Rally|1986 event]], won by Metge and Neveu, was marred by the death of event founder Sabine in a helicopter crash, his father Gilbert taking over organisation of the rally.

===Peugeot and Citroën domination===

The [[1987 Dakar Rally|1987 rally]] marked the start of an era of increased official factory participation in the car category, as French manufacturer [[Peugeot]] arrived and won the event with former [[World Rally Championship|World Rally]] champion [[Ari Vatanen]]. The 1987 event was also notable for a ferocious head-to-head duel between Neveu and Auriol in the motorcycle category, the former taking his fifth victory after Auriol was forced to drop out of the rally after breaking both ankles in a fall.<ref name="retrospective"/> The [[1988 Dakar Rally|1988 event]] reached its zenith in terms of entry numbers, with 603 starters. Vatanen's title defence was derailed when his Peugeot was stolen from the service area at [[Bamako]]. Though it was later found, Vatanen was subsequently disqualified from the event, victory instead going to compatriot and teammate [[Juha Kankkunen]].<ref name="retrospective"/>

Peugeot and Vatanen returned to winning ways in [[1989 Dakar Rally|1989]] and [[1990 Dakar Rally|1990]], the latter marking Peugeot's final year of rally competition before switching to the [[World Sportscar Championship]]. Sister brand [[Citroën]] took Peugeot's place, Vatanen taking a third consecutive victory in [[1991 Dakar Rally|1991]]. The 1991 event also saw [[Stéphane Peterhansel]] take his first title in the motorcycle category with Yamaha, marking the beginning of an era of domination by the Frenchman.

For the [[1992 Dakar Rally|1992 event]], the finish line moved to [[Cape Town]], South Africa in a bid to combat a declining number of competitors, where [[Global Positioning System|GPS]] technology was used for the first time.<ref name="retrospective"/> Auriol became the first person to win in multiple classes after taking Mitsubishi's second victory in the car class, while Peterhansel successfully defended his motorcycle category title. The [[1993 Dakar Rally|1993 rally]] entry list slumped to 153 competitors, around half of the preceding year's figure and around a quarter of that of 1988. The event was the last to be organised by Gilbert Sabine and the [[Amaury Sport Organisation]] took over the following year. With the finish line now back in its traditional location of Dakar, [[Bruno Saby]] won a third title for Mitsubishi and Peterhansel took a third straight success in the motorcycle category.

The [[1994 Dakar Rally|1994 event]] returned to Paris after reaching Dakar, resulting in a particularly grueling event. [[Pierre Lartigue]] took Citroën's second win in acrimonious circumstances, as Mitsubishi's leading drivers were forced to withdraw from exhaustion after traversing some particularly demanding sand dunes in the Mauritanian desert that the Citroën crews had opted to skip.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/motorsports/history/1994.html|title=1994 Paris-Dakar-Paris|publisher=Mitsubishi Motors|access-date=2014-01-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108041107/http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/motorsports/history/1994.html|archive-date=2014-01-08|url-status=dead}}</ref> Peterhansel's did not compete due to a disagreement between Yamaha and the race organizers over the regulations. [[Edi Orioli]] claimed a third title in the bikes category.<ref name="retrospective"/> The [[1995 Dakar Rally|1995]] and [[1996 Dakar Rally|1996]] events begin in the Spanish city of [[Granada]], with Lartigue racking up wins for Citroën in both years. Peterhansel returned to take a fourth bikes category win in 1995, but lost to Orioli in 1996 because of refuelling problems.<ref name="retrospective"/>

===Mitsubishi in the ascendancy===

The [[1997 Dakar Rally|1997 rally]] ran exclusively in Africa for the first time, with the route running from Dakar to [[Agadez]], [[Niger]] and back to Dakar. Citroën's withdrawal due to a rule change paved the way for Mitsubishi to take a fourth victory. Japan's [[Kenjiro Shinozuka]] became the first non-European to win the event. Peterhansel equalled Neveu's record of five motorcycle category wins in 1997, before going one better in [[1998 Dakar Rally|1998]], when the event returned to its traditional Paris-Dakar route. 1998, Dakar veteran [[Jean-Pierre Fontenay]] posted another win for Mitsubishi in the car class.

[[1999 Dakar Rally|1999]] started in Granada and a maiden success for erstwhile [[Formula One]] and sports car driver [[Jean-Louis Schlesser]], who had been constructing his own buggies since 1992. With the help of [[Renault]] backing, Schlesser overcame the works Mitsubishi and [[Nissan Motor Company|Nissan]] crews to win, whilst Peterhansel's decision to switch to the car category allowed [[Richard Sainct]] to take BMW's first title in the bikes category since 1985. Schlesser and Sainct both successfully defended their titles in [[2000 Dakar Rally|2000]], traversing the route from Dakar to the [[Egypt]]ian capital of [[Cairo]].

[[2001 Dakar Rally|2001]] was the final time that the rally used the familiar Paris-Dakar route, and was notable for Mitsubishi's [[Jutta Kleinschmidt]], as she was the first woman to win the rally – albeit only after Schlesser was penalised one hour for unsportsmanlike conduct.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/1128131.stm|title=Schlesser penalised after taking lead|date=20 January 2001|work=BBC Sport|access-date=2009-02-28}}</ref> [[Fabrizio Meoni]] took the first Dakar win for Austrian manufacturer [[KTM]], beginning a winning streak that lasted through 2019. The [[2002 Dakar Rally|2002]] began in the French town of [[Arras]] and long-time Dakar participant [[Hiroshi Masuoka (rally driver)|Hiroshi Masuoka]] won the event for Mitsubishi (Masouka had led for much of the previous year's rally.) The [[2003 Dakar Rally|2003 rally]] featured an unorthodox route from [[Marseille]] to [[Sharm El Sheikh]]. Masuoka defend his title after teammate and long-time leader Peterhansel was plagued by mechanical problems in the penultimate stage.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/2671901.stm|title=Peterhansel's Dakar dream dies|date=18 January 2003|work=BBC Sport|access-date=2009-02-28}}</ref> Sainct meanwhile took honours in the motorcycle category, the third title for both him and KTM.

===Mid-2000s===
By [[2004 Dakar Rally|2004]], the entry list had increased to 595, up from 358 in 2001, with a record 688 competitors starting in [[2005 Dakar Rally|2005]].<ref name="retrospective"/> Alongside Mitsubishi and Nissan, [[Volkswagen]] now boasted a full factory effort, while Schlesser's [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]-powered buggies and [[BMW]]s of the German [[X-raid]] team proved thorns in the side of the big budget works teams. The 2004 route was from [[Clermont-Ferrand]] to Dakar, and was the year Peterhansel emulated Hubert Auriol's feat of winning the rally on both two wheels and four. The Frenchman defended his title in 2005, when the rally began for the first time in [[Barcelona]]. In the bikes category, KTM continued their success with [[Nani Roma]] in 2004, who switched to the car category the following year, and [[Cyril Despres]] in 2005.

The [[2006 Dakar Rally|2006]] event moved to [[Lisbon]]. Nissan pulled out having failed to provide effective opposition to Mitsubishi, who took a sixth consecutive victory, this time with former skiing champion [[Luc Alphand]] after Peterhansel committed a series of errors late in the rally.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/world_rally/4606600.stm|title= Alphand takes charge with victory|date=12 January 2006|work=BBC Sport|access-date=2009-03-01}}</ref> Peterhansel made amends in [[2007 Dakar Rally|2007]], however, taking his third title in the car category for Mitsubishi after a close contest with Alphand after the increasingly competitive Volkswagens retired with mechanical problems. In what would be the final African event of the Dakar, Despres took his second title in the bikes category, having conceded victory in 2006 to [[Marc Coma]] after suffering an injury.

===2008 Dakar Rally cancelled===
The [[2008 Dakar Rally|2008 event]], due to start in Lisbon, was cancelled on 4 January 2008 amid fears of attacks in Mauritania following the [[2007 killing of French tourists in Mauritania|2007 killing of four French tourists]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Hamilos|first=Paul|date=2008-01-05|title=Dakar rally cancelled at last minute over terrorist threat|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jan/05/france.sport|access-date=2020-05-08|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Chile and Argentina offered to host subsequent events,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://motoring.iafrica.com/worldsport/dakar/776184.htm |title=world motorsport &#124; dakar Chile offers to host Dakar 2008 |publisher=motoring.iafrica.com |access-date=2011-08-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225130107/http://motoring.iafrica.com/worldsport/dakar/776184.htm |archive-date=2012-02-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://index.hu/sport/dakarali0105/ |title=Index – Két pótvesennyel pótolnák idén a Dakart |publisher=Index.hu |access-date=2011-08-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080305161834/http://index.hu/sport/dakarali0105/ |archive-date=2008-03-05 }}</ref> which were later accepted by the ASO for the [[2009 Dakar Rally|2009 event]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=2008-02-11|title=2009 Dakar Rally moves to South America|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/sports/11iht-rally11.9940680.html|access-date=2020-05-08|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Later in the year the ASO created a new event, the [[2008 Central Europe Rally]], to fill the void created by the cancellation of 2008 edition of the Dakar.<ref name=":0" /> All entries for 2008 Dakar were allowed to participate in this event held in [[Hungary]] and [[Romania]]. It was intended to be part of a series known as the [[Dakar Series]].<ref name="motor">{{Cite web |url=https://www.motorsport.com/dakar/news/dakar-winners-cars-list/4624302/ |title=Gallery: Dakar winners in cars since 1979 |date=2024-01-19 |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=motorsport.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.motosport.com.pt/tt/dakar-de-neveu-a-brabec-todos-os-vencedores-do-rally-dakar/ |title=Dakar: De Neveu a Brabec, todos os vencedores do Rally Dakar |last=Ferreira |first=Ricardo |date=2024-12-27 |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=motosport |language=pt}}</ref>

===South America===

The [[2009 Dakar Rally|2009 event]], the first held in South America with a respectable 501 competitors, saw Volkswagen take its first win in the Dakar as a works entrant courtesy of [[Giniel de Villiers]]. Initially, teammate and former WRC champion [[Carlos Sainz Sr.|Carlos Sainz]] led the race comfortably until crashing out,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72796|title=Sainz crashes out of Dakar Rally|publisher=autosport.com |date=2009-01-15 |access-date=2014-01-08}}</ref> but went on to win the event in [[2010 Dakar Rally|2010]]. After a poor showing in 2009, Mitsubishi withdrew from the competition and left Volkswagen as the sole works entrant. The German marque won the race for a third time in [[2011 Dakar Rally|2011]], this time with [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]], before they withdrew to focus on their upcoming WRC entry and leaving the Dakar with no factory participants in the car class. In the bikes, Despres and Coma stretched KTM's incredible unbroken run of success. Both tied on three victories apiece after Coma's third win in 2011.

[[File:Global IPCS (Camiones) - Dakar 2018 - Perú - Kamaz.jpg|thumb|2018 rally in [[Peru]]]]
[[File:20170809 Bolivia 1510 Uyuni sRGB (37980059441).jpg|thumb|The route passed through the [[Salar de Uyuni]] in [[Bolivia]], the world's largest salt desert.]]
In the [[2012 Dakar Rally|2012 rally]], the [[X-raid]] team came to the fore, now using [[Mini (marque)|Minis]] in lieu of BMWs. Peterhansel had joined the team in 2010 after Mitsubishi's departure, but had been unable to challenge the Volkswagen drivers. Following Volkswagen's withdrawal, Peterhansel was able to secure his fourth win in the car category and his tenth in total, his main opposition coming from within his own team. Peterhansel successfully defended his title in [[2013 Dakar Rally|2013]] as the Damen Jefferies buggies of Sainz and Al-Attiyah failed to last the distance. Despres also racked up a further two wins for KTM in the bikes class in 2012 and 2013, bringing his tally to five, aided by Coma's absence due to injury in the latter year. Coma struck back on his return to the Dakar in [[2014 Dakar Rally|2014]], taking a comfortable fourth title and a 13th in succession for KTM, whilst [[Nani Roma]] emulated Auriol and Peterhansel by taking his maiden title in the cars class a decade on from his victory on two wheels – albeit only after team orders by X-raid slowed Peterhansel.<ref>[http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112186 Stephane Peterhansel frustrated by controversial finish] ''autosport.com''. Retrieved January 18, 2014.</ref>

Peugeot returned for the [[2015 Dakar Rally|2015]] event with an all-new, diesel-powered, two-wheel drive contender, but failed to make an impact as X-raid's Minis once more dominated. Al-Attiyah won the event in his second year for the team, while Coma racked up a fifth title in the bikes after the defection of long-time rival Despres to the car class and Peugeot. Peugeot did however see success in [[2016 Dakar Rally|2016]] with Peterhansel behind the wheel, racking up his 6th win in the car category, and again in 2017 and 2018 until Peugeot decide to officially leave the competition. In [[2019 Dakar Rally|2019]], which was the first Dakar Rally to be held in just one country (Peru), [[Toyota]] won for the first time with [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]] (in his third victory with three different manufacturers). The bike category saw the KTM works team rider, Australian Toby Price, take his first Dakar victory, winning his second title in 2019. [[Sam Sunderland]] and [[Matthias Walkner]] won the 2017 and 2018 edition also for the team from Mattighofen (18 overall victories as in 2019).

===Saudi Arabia===
Following the ASO's increasingly deteriorating relationships with South American governments, which culminated in the controversial 2019 disqualification of Bolivian quad rider Juan Carlos Salvatierra,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motorsport.com/dakar/news/dakar-rally-director-lavigne-castera/4349111/
|website=Motorsport.com
|title=Dakar Rally 2020. New Safari Design Team Presentation
|date=2019-03-09
|access-date=2020-01-07
}}</ref> the rally has been held in Saudi Arabia since 2020.

Further editions were planned to also feature other Middle Eastern countries starting from 2021, as the contract with the country was only exclusive for the first year. However, the effects of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] prevented such an expansion from happening.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lillo|first=Sergio|title=Dakar 2021 to run entirely in Saudi Arabia, but on "100% new" route|url=https://www.autosport.com/dakar/news/149907/dakar-2021-to-run-entirely-in-saudi-arabia|access-date=2020-07-13|website=Autosport.com|language=en}}</ref>