It was the 46th edition of the Dakar Rally, organized by Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), and the 5th time Saudi Arabia has hosted the event.

This year the route started at Al-'Ula, then across the Empty Quarter, and finished in Yanbu.

The new format marathon stage included time limit for stopping at 4pm, and setting off the next day at 7am.

The route featured 60% new tracks compared to the previous edition, comprising 5,000 kilometres of special stages.

– Competitors participating in "Original by Motul" — limited assistance marathon class.

– Competitors participating in "Original by Motul" — limited assistance marathon class.

The race features a new two-day marathon stage, where all participants will need to stop at the nearest bivouac after 4pm.

There will be 8 bivouacs setup, with drivers having no contact with their teams, but allowed to work on other vehicles.