The 2006 Dakar Rally was the 28th running of the event. It started in Lisbon, Portugal on December 31, 2005 and ended in Dakar, Senegal on January 15, 2006. The rally covered approximately 9,043 km. Luc Alphand won the car category, Marc Coma won the motorcycle category, and Vladimir Chagin won the truck category. The rally was marred by the death of Australian motorcyclist Andy Caldecott and two spectator fatalities.
The 2006 Dakar Rally commenced in Lisbon, Portugal, marking the second consecutive year the rally started from the Portuguese capital. The route would take competitors through Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, and Senegal before reaching Dakar.
The first proper stage ran from Portimão, Portugal to Malagón, Spain. Portuguese driver Carlos Sousa won the opening car stage in his Nissan, while French rider David Casteu took the motorcycle stage win.
Australian motorcyclist Andy Caldecott was killed during Stage 9 between Nouakchott and Kiffa in Mauritania. He crashed approximately 250 km into the stage and died instantly. Caldecott was riding as a replacement rider for the KTM team. His death was the second fatality of the rally after a spectator had been killed earlier.
Following the death of Andy Caldecott, the remainder of Stage 9 was cancelled for motorcycles as a mark of respect, though car and truck competitors continued. The rally organizers held a minute of silence at the bivouac in Kiffa.
A 10-year-old boy was struck and killed by a competitor's vehicle during a liaison section in Guinea, bringing the total number of fatalities during the 2006 rally to three including Andy Caldecott and another spectator killed earlier in the event.
Spanish rider Marc Coma won the motorcycle category riding a KTM, claiming his first Dakar Rally victory. He finished ahead of Cyril Despres and Giovanni Sala. Coma's victory continued KTM's dominance in the motorcycle category.
French former downhill skier Luc Alphand won the car category driving a Mitsubishi Pajero, finishing ahead of his teammates Stéphane Peterhansel and Hiroshi Masuoka. Alphand secured Mitsubishi's sixth consecutive Dakar victory and eleventh overall.
Russian driver Vladimir Chagin won the truck category in a Kamaz, claiming his fifth Dakar Rally truck title. Chagin dominated the truck competition, winning multiple stages throughout the event.
