The 45th edition of the Dakar Rally is underway.
One of the most revered and demanding motorsport events on the planet, the 2023 race brings together some of the world's best enduro competitors across a number of categories.
The Sporting News takes a look at the key details for this year's Dakar Rally.
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When is Dakar Rally 2023?
The Dakar Rally began on December 31, 2022.
Competitors will now fight to conquer the Arabian desert on motorcycles, cars, quads, light prototypes, SSVs, classics and trucks.
It is scheduled to wrap up on January 15, 2023.
The winners of the 2022 edition were Nasser Al-Attiyah (cars), Sam Sunderland (motorcycles), Alexandre Giroud (quads), Francisco López Contardo (light prototypes) and the Kamaz-Master team (trucks).
Where is Dakar Rally 2023 being held?
For the fourth consecutive year, the Dakar Rally is being held in Saudi Arabia.
It all started at the Red Sea in the west of Saudi Arabia and will finish in Dammam, on the eastern border.
Competitors will race across the middle of the country, passing through the nation's capital and largest city, Riyadh.
After its inception in 1978, the majority of Dakar Rally events were staged from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal.
However, due to security concerns in the African country of Mauritania, the traditional location of the race was changed.
The race then shifted to South America for an 11-year spell before its move to Saudi Arabia in the Middle East.
How to watch Dakar Rally 2023
| Australia | United Kingdom | United States | |
| TV | SBS | Eurosport | NBC Sports |
| Streaming | SBS On Demand | Eurosport | - |
Calendar: Every stage of Dakar Rally 2023
The 2023 edition of the Dakar Rally will last 16 days.
There will be just one rest day for the entire campaign, set between stages 8 and 9 on January 9.
Below is the schedule of events and stages of the Dakar Rally 2023 (all dates in Arabia Standard Time):
| Stage | Date | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Prologue | Dec. 31, 2022 | 10 kilometres |
| 1 | Jan. 1, 2023 | 603 kilometres |
| 2 | Jan. 2 | 590 kilometres |
| 3 | Jan. 3 | 669 kilometres |
| 4 | Jan. 4 | 573 kilometres |
| 5 | Jan. 5 | 646 kilometres |
| 6 | Jan. 6 | 876.68 kilometres |
| 7 | Jan. 7 | 641.47 kilometres |
| 8 | Jan. 8 | 722.41 kilometres |
| Rest day | Jan. 9 | - |
| 9 | Jan. 10 | 710 kilometres |
| 10 | Jan. 11 | 623 kilometres |
| 11 | Jan. 12 | 426 kilometres |
| 12 | Jan. 13 | 375 kilometres |
| 13 | Jan. 14 | 669 kilometres |
| 14 | Jan. 15 | 414 kilometres |
Dakar Rally 2023 competitor list
The full list of competitors in each main category can be viewed here.