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Dakar Series

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The Dakar Series was an annual series of rally raid off-road races, organised by the A.S.O.. The series groups together events similar in style to the Dakar Rally and was founded in 2008 after the cancellation of the 2008 edition of the rally.

History

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The Dakar Series was born in 2008, with the cancellation of this year's edition, in anticipation of a year of the A.S.O. program. To create a rally raid series affiliated with the Dakar, it will be part of a single calendar (the final date must be the owner of the edition of the rally raid for the next year). The first event that inaugurated the series was the Central Europe Rally, followed by the PAX Rally and which included a car, motorcycle, quad and truck.

From the second edition, further new events were added, with safety and organizational measures, and media attention, equal to those of the Dakar. In 2009, 2010 and 2011, the series consisted of a single event with the Silk Way Rally entering the calendar, which took place over the following three years between Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. In 2012, the Silk Way Rally was replaced by the Desafio Litoral, a rally raid held entirely in Argentina, and in turn replaced by two new events in 2013: the Desafio Ruta 40 (also held in Argentina and successor to the Desafio Litoral) and the Desafío Inca (which takes place in Peru). With the entry of the Desafio Guarani into the calendar the following year, the series reached a record number of three events, giving life to a preparation process in view of the Dakar to be held entirely in South America.

In 2016, after the cancellation of the Desafio Inca the previous year and the passage of the Desafio Ruta 40 to the Dakar Challenge circuit, there was only one event left on the calendar, making its debut in the series, namely the Merzouga Rally (which takes place over the of five days in Morocco). The following year A.S.O. also included the newly formed Dakar Series China Rally, bringing the number of events to two.

In 2018, the Desafio Ruta 40 and the Desafio Inca return to the calendar, while the Dakar Series China Rally comes out. With the Dakar moving to Saudi Arabia in 2019, the competition calendar once again features just one event (the Merzouga Rally).

In 2020, the Merzouga Rally was finally cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizers postponed it until its next edition on 2021, which it never took place. Since then, no rally has been held under the Dakar Series label.

Rallies

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Year Rally Route Bikes Cars Trucks
Pos Rider Make Time Gap Pos Driver/Navigator Make Time Gap Pos Driver/Navigators Make Time Gap
2008 Central Europe Rally HungaryBudapest
- Romania Baia Mare
- HungaryBalatonfüred
1 France David Casteu KTM 12:21:14 1 Spain Carlos Sainz
France Michel Périn
Volkswagen 11:18:08 1 Netherlands Hans Stacey
Belgium Eddy Chevaillier
Netherlands Bernard der Kinderen
MAN 11:43:20
2 Chile Francisco López KTM 12:24:12 2:58 2 France Stéphane Peterhansel
France Jean-Paul Cottret
Mitsubishi 11:20:09 2:01 2 Netherlands Wulfert van Ginkel
Netherlands Daniel Bruinsma
Netherlands Richard de Rooij
GINAF 12:17:03 33:43
3 France Alain Duclos KTM 12:40:53 19:39 3 Germany Dieter Depping
Germany Timo Gottschalk
Volkswagen 11:24:42 6:34 3 Czech Republic Aleš Loprais
Czech Republic Ladislav Lala
Czech Republic Milan Holáň
Tatra 12:36:38 53:18
PAX Rally Portugal Lisbon
- Portugal Portimao
1 Portugal Ruben Faria Honda 12:16:39 1 France Stéphane Peterhansel
France Jean-Paul Cottret
Mitsubishi 11:15:00
2 France Cyril Despres KTM 12:22:44 6:05 2 France Luc Alphand
France Gilles Picard
Mitsubishi 11:18:00 3:00
3 Spain Marc Coma KTM 12:24:31 7:52 3 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah
Sweden Tina Thörner
BMW 11:21:00 6:00
2009 Silk Way Rally Russia Kazan
- Kazakhstan Oral
- Turkmenistan Ashgabat
1 Spain Carlos Sainz
Spain Lucas Cruz
Volkswagen 24:12:21 1 Russia Firdaus Kabirov
Russia Andrey Mokeev
Russia Anatoley Tanin
Kamaz 28:13:52
2 United States Mark Miller
South Africa Ralph Pitchford
Volkswagen 24:34:13 20:52 2 Netherlands Gérard de Rooy
Belgium Tom Colsoul
Netherlands Darek Rodewald
Iveco 29:16:17 1:02:25
3 South Africa Giniel de Villiers
Germany Dirk von Zitzewitz
Volkswagen 24:40:30 28:09 3 Czech Republic Aleš Loprais
Slovakia Jaroslav Miškolci
Czech Republic Milan Holáň
Tatra 29:56:12 1:42:40
2010 Silk Way Rally Russia Saint Petersburg
- Russia Sochi
1 Spain Carlos Sainz
Spain Lucas Cruz
Volkswagen 19:42:02 1 Russia Eduard Nikolaev
Russia Vyatcheslav Mizyukaev
Russia Vladimir Rybakov
Kamaz 22:56:21
2 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah
Germany Timo Gottschalk
Volkswagen 19:50:29 8:27 2 Russia Vladimir Chagin
Russia Sergey Savostin
Russia Ildar Shaysultanov
Kamaz 23:18:49 22:28
3 United States Mark Miller
South Africa Ralph Pitchford
Volkswagen 20:22:24 40:22 3 Russia Firdaus Kabirov
Russia Andrey Mokeev
Russia Aydar Belyaev
Kamaz 23:24:42 28:21
2011 Silk Way Rally Russia Moscow
- Russia Sochi
1 Poland Krzysztof Holowczyc
Belgium Jean-Marc Fortin
BMW 5:11:27 1 Czech Republic Aleš Loprais
Czech Republic Milan Holáň
Czech Republic Vojtěch Štajf
Tatra 8:23:15
2 France Stéphane Peterhansel
France Jean-Paul Cottret
Mini 7:10:55 1:59:28 2 Russia Firdaus Kabirov
Russia Andrey Mokeev
Russia Anatoley Tanin
Kamaz 8:39:56 16:41
3 Russia Alexandre Zheludov
Belarus Andrey Rudnitskiy
Nissan 8:36:00 3:24:33 3 Russia Andrey Karginov
Russia Vyatcheslav Mizyukaev
Russia Igor Devyatkin
Kamaz 9:01:51 38:36
2012 Desafio Litoral Argentina Iguazu
- Argentina Resistencia
1 France Cyril Despres KTM 13:56:54 1 Argentina Orlando Terranova
Portugal Paulo Fiuza
BMW 12:48:06
2 Poland Kuba Przygoński KTM 14:01:39 4:45 2 Spain Nani Roma
France Michel Périn
Mini 12:14:45 26:39
3 Argentina Mauricio Gomez Yamaha 15:00:09 1:03:15 3 Chile Boris Garafulic
France Gilles Picard
Mini 14:28:02 1:39:56
2013 Desafio Ruta 40 Argentina S.S. de Jujuy
- Argentina San Juan
1 United States Kurt Caselli KTM 18:10:20 1 Spain Nani Roma
France Michel Périn
Mini 19:50:50
2 Chile Francisco López KTM 18:11:03 0:43 2 Argentina Orlando Terranova
Portugal Paulo Fiuza
Mini 19:52:55 2:05
3 Spain Marc Coma KTM 18:21:13 10:53 3 Bolivia Marco Bulacia
Argentina Benjamin Lozada
Toyota 25:59:14 6:08:24
Desafio Inca Peru Paracas
- Peru Paracas
1 Chile Pablo Quintanilla KTM 11:56:05 1 Brazil Guilherme Spinelli
Brazil Youssef Haddad
Mitsubishi 11:29:40
2 France David Casteu Yamaha 12:05:34 9:29 2 Peru Francisco León
Peru Tomas Hirahoka
Mitsubishi 13:22:18 1:52:38
3 Peru Eduardo Heinrich Honda 12:27:19 31:14 3 Peru Diego Weber
Peru Alonso Carrillo
Toyota 13:39:45 2:10:05
2014 Desafio Ruta 4 Argentina Bariloche - Argentina San Juan 1 Argentina Javier Pozzolito Honda 10:34:50 1 Argentina Juan Manuel Silva
Argentina Eduardo Lopez
Prototipo 11:29:43
2 France David Casteu KTM 10:41:10 6:20 2 Chile Rodrigo Moreno
Chile Jorge Araya
Toyota 12:14:31 44:48
3 Chile Pablo Quintanilla KTM 10:47:57 13:07 3 Argentina Martin Maldonado
Argentina Sebastian Scholtz
Prototipo 13:28:23 1:58:40
Desafio Guarani Paraguay Asuncion - Paraguay Encarnacion 1 Chile Francisco Lopez KTM 4:51:09 1 Argentina Juan Manuel Silva
Argentina Eduardo Lopez
Colcar 4:58:27
2 France David Casteu KTM 4:53:09 2:00 2 Paraguay Viktor Rempel
Paraguay Vernon Rempel
Audi 4:58:44 0:17
3 Chile Pablo Quintanilla KTM 5:01:07 9:58 3 Bolivia Marco Bulacia
Bolivia Abel Salazar
Toyota 5:15:11 16:44
Desafio Inca Peru Paracas - Peru Paracas 1 Chile Claudio Rodriguez KTM 13:00:07 1 Spain Nani Roma
France Michel Périn
Mini 13:21:48
2 Chile José Cornejo Suzuki 13:00:10 0:03 2 Chile Rodrigo Moreno
Chile Jorge Arraya
Wicked 14:59:30 1:37:42
3 France David Casteu KTM 13:04:19 4:12 3 Peru Diego Weber
Peru Alonso Carrillo
Toyota 15:45:09 2:23:21


2015:
Argentina Desafio Ruta 40: 17-23 May
- moto winner: Paulo Gonçalves (Honda)
- auto winner: Orlando Terranova/Bernard Graue (Mini)
„Paraguay Desafio Guarani: 19-25 July
- moto winner: Kevin Benavides (Honda)
- auto winner: Peter Jerie/Laurent Lichtleuchter (Toyota)
Peru „Desafio Inca: 10-13 September
- cancelled

2016:
Morocco Merzouga Rally: 21-27 May
- moto winner: Kevin Benavides (Honda)
- quad winner: Clemens Eicker (E-ATV)
- sxs winner: Frederic Henrichy/Eric Bersey (Polaris)

2017:
Morocco Merzouga Rally: 7-12 May
- moto winner: Xavier de Soultrait (Yamaha)
- quad winner: Nicolas Cavigliasso (Yamaha)
- sxs winner: Frederic Henrichy/Eric Bersey (Polaris)

2018:
Morocco Merzouga Rally: 15-20 April
- moto winner: Joan Barreda (Honda)
- quad winner: Axel Dutrie (Yamaha)
- sxs winner: Bruno Varela/Gustavo Gugelmin (Can-Am)

2019:
Morocco Merzouga Rally: 31 March-05 April
- moto winner: Adrien van Beveren (Yamaha)
- quad winner: Axel Dutrie (Yamaha)
- sxs winner: Nasser Al-Attiyah/Matthieu Baumel (Can-Am)

Dakar Challenge/Road To Dakar

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Together with the Dakar Series, the A.S.O. also established the Dakar Challenge in 2011, a circuit parallel to but sometimes also internal to the Dakar Series (in fact, even the Dakar Series events can host within them a race valid for the Dakar Challenge circuit, as, for example, happened with the Desafio Inca). The Dakar Challenge changed its name in 2018, becoming the Road to Dakar.

Participants to be admitted to the Road to Dakar category must:

  • never having participated in the Dakar;
  • not having finished in the top ten positions of an FIM rally;
  • not being part of the FIA and FIA SXS priority driver lists;
  • not being part of the A.S.O. lists Elite SXS;
  • never having won the Road to Dakar in the past.

Thanks to this series of events, free registrations for the Dakar or automatic access to the selections for the following year's Dakar and other benefits are made available in view of participation in the final event of the season, reserved, in particular, for amateurs (as well as the debutants) best placed in the special ranking, in order to discover new talents.

References

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