[1] The 2001 rally was 6,600 miles (10,600 km) long and began in Paris, France, on New Year's Day, passing through Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, before finishing at Dakar in Senegal.

[2][3] This was the last Paris-Dakar Rally that commenced and finished in the same locations as the original race.

Jean-Louis Schlesser won the penultimate stage of the rally to take the lead but was penalised one hour for unsportsmanlike conduct.

[4] The rally was won by German Jutta Kleinschmidt, who became the first woman to win the event.

Schlesser and Servia were given a 60-minute penalty, which gave Kleinschmidt and Masuoka a comfortable lead for the final mini stage.