The 2024 Dakar Rally was the 46th edition of the rally raid event. It was held in Saudi Arabia for the fifth consecutive year, starting in AlUla on January 5 and finishing in Yanbu on January 19, 2024. The rally covered approximately 7,891 km across 12 stages. Carlos Sainz won the car category for his fourth Dakar title, while Ricky Brabec claimed the motorcycle category.
The 2024 Dakar Rally commenced with a prologue stage near AlUla, Saudi Arabia. American rider Ricky Brabec topped the motorcycle prologue, while Mattias Ekström set the fastest time in the car category. The prologue determined the starting order for Stage 1.
The first full stage was a loop around AlUla covering 414 km of timed special. Tosha Schareina won the motorcycle stage but suffered a wrist injury that would later force his retirement. In the car category, Guillaume de Mevius took an early overall lead.
Stage 3 covered 438 km of timed special. Sébastien Loeb won the car stage, his first of the rally, while Carlos Sainz took the overall lead in the car category. In the bike category, Ross Branch took the overall lead.
After six stages, competitors reached the rest day in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Carlos Sainz held the overall lead in cars with a margin of over 20 minutes. Ross Branch led the motorcycle category. The rest day allowed teams to perform maintenance and drivers to recover before the second week of competition.
Following the rest day, Stage 6 covered 483 km of timed special. Sébastien Loeb won his second stage of the rally in the car category, while Carlos Sainz extended his overall lead. In bikes, Adrien van Beveren took the stage win.
Stage 8 was the first part of the marathon stage covering 458 km of timed special. Sébastien Loeb won his third stage of the rally. Carlos Sainz maintained his overall lead in the car category. The marathon stage format meant competitors had limited servicing time overnight.
Stage 10 covered 371 km of timed special through diverse terrain. Sébastien Loeb won his fourth stage of the rally. Carlos Sainz continued to hold a commanding overall lead in the car category as the rally approached its final stages.
The 2024 Dakar Rally concluded with Stage 12 finishing in Yanbu. Carlos Sainz (Audi) won the car category for his fourth Dakar title, finishing over 1 hour and 20 minutes ahead of Sébastien Loeb. Ricky Brabec (Honda) won the motorcycle category, his second Dakar victory. The rally covered approximately 7,891 km total across 12 stages over 14 days of competition.