DESERT DUELS

The 45th edition of the Dakar Rally was the longest and toughest one yet!

- GAURAV DAVARE

While the period between the end of a year and the start of another is usually a well-deserved break for most motorsport disciplines, rally and adrenaline junkies, gather around in some godforsaken desert to pit man and machine against some of the most inhospitable terrains on the planet. 2023 sees the 45th edition of the prestigious Dakar Rally take place and there were plenty of storylines over the course of 15 days.

THE ROUTE 

This time, the Dakar Rally had one of the toughest and longest routes being a true test of endurance. It kicked off with a short Prologue and first stage on the Sea Camp, then heading to Ha'il for the next four days before reaching Riyadh. While discovering the coast of the Arabian Gulf, competitors would go through a barrage of marathon stages before ending things at the other end of the Arabian Peninsula in Dammam. The rally spanned a whopping 8,549km which was covered throughout the 14 stages, with the competition taking on a bunch of challenges including scattered rocky sections, sandy tracks, valleys, mountain ranges, torrential weather, and of course, the sandy dunes that make for picturesque scenes.

HOW THINGS TRANSPIRED