It's the most mythic mechanical test of the year: the Dakar. Two weeks in the desert, relentless stages and roadbook navigation that make this rally-raid the world's toughest race. Now held in Saudi Arabia, it brings together cars, trucks and above all a legendary motorcycle category.
Motorcycles at Dakar
- Total autonomy: unlike cars, the motorcycle rider is alone. He navigates, rides and, more often than not, repairs himself.
- Roadbook navigation: no co-driver — the rider reads his roadbook on the plate, manages his heading and the danger. Getting lost costs hours.
- Purpose-built machines: rally motorcycles (around 450 cc), prepared to withstand dunes, stony terrain and thousands of kilometres.
- Marathon stages: on some days, support is forbidden — riders bivouac and maintain their bike alone.
Why it captivates
Dakar is pure mechanical adventure: autonomy, navigation, resistance to fatigue and the desert. The motorcycle category is its soul, the most exposed and most admired.
