There are 4 main catagories on the Dakar.
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00:00The Dakar features four categories of vehicles through which participants can compete.
00:10These include motorcycles, cars, trucks, and the lightweight cross-country vehicles, also
00:16known as side-by-side vehicles.
00:18The motorcycles, les motos.
00:21This category consists of two groups.
00:23The best-known one is Rally GP.
00:25These elite riders represent the best, and they are equipped with distinctive yellow
00:29number plates.
00:31The second one is the Rally 2.
00:34Within the overall motorcycle category, the vast majority of the riders are amateurs.
00:39However, for safety reasons, there is a very strict selection process to make sure that
00:43all the competitors have the required physical, mental, and technical abilities to participate.
00:50Another group within this category is the Original by Motul category.
00:54This consists of bike's competitors competing without any kind of assistance, who have limited
00:58resources and equipment.
01:00As a result, a specific competition rule applies for competitors under this category.
01:05You can learn more about these groups by watching our dedicated video.
01:10Some of the famous names to come out of the motorcycle category include inaugural Dakar
01:14winner Cyrille Neveu, who went on to win the category five times, and Marc Comas, who has
01:20won the category five times, and Stéphane Petterhansel, who has won the category the
01:25most with six wins.
01:27The Cars category consists of two main groups or types of vehicle driven by a driver and
01:33navigator.
01:35The first and most recognizable are mainly prototype vehicles that meet FIA technical
01:40standards and safety regulations.
01:42Although they may be based on the bodywork of an existing commercial vehicle, any similarity
01:47is largely superficial as they are heavily modified.
01:51Designed and developed for competition and racing, they are the ultimate category, the
01:55fastest and often the most impressive vehicles on the Dakar circuit, and are certainly not
02:00found in dealerships.
02:03The second group within the Car category can however be found within a dealership.
02:08Based on a production vehicle, modifications are made following a highly regulated and
02:13primarily safety-oriented preparation.
02:16These include roll cage, bucket seats and fuel tanks, as well as modification to such
02:21things as the chassis, suspension and tires in order to better equip and fortify the car
02:26for the rigors of the car.
02:28This second group is the Stock.
02:32Famous competitors within the Car category include Stéphane Petterhansel, who following
02:36his success in the motorcycles, won the race eight times in a car, Nasser Al-Attiyah with
02:42five wins and Carlos Sainz with four.
02:46As well as Jutta Kleinschmidt, who in 1998 became the first female to win a stage in
02:51Dakar, later going on to surpass that feat when in 2001, behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi,
02:58she became the first woman to win the overall event.
03:02The Trucks.
03:03Like the Cars, the Truck category is made up of two different groups and consists of
03:07a driver, navigator and mechanic.
03:10The first is the Race Trucks, whose objective is to win the Dakar in the Truck category.
03:15Often prototype-based trucks, it is possible to recognize the bodywork and brand of the
03:19truck at first glance.
03:20Lightweight, powerful and imposing, their cargo hold is in fact almost completely empty.
03:27For safety reasons, their top speed is limited, but regardless, can often pass the cars in
03:31competition.
03:32Then there is the Fast Assistance Trucks, which serve as rolling workshops and can
03:37also assist other types of vehicles in need.
03:40Although their purpose is primarily to assist the Race Vehicles, the race among the Assistance
03:44Vehicles to reach the next bivouac can be as fierce as the competition rally itself.
03:49Dominant drivers within this category have been Vladimir Chajan with 7 race wins closely
03:54followed by Carol Lopres with 6 wins.
03:59Lightweight Cross-Country Vehicles.
04:02Previously run under the Car category, Lightweight Cross-Country Vehicles are now run under their
04:07own class in Dakar competition.
04:09This category, which was introduced in 2017, is booming.
04:14The appeal of the Lightweight Cross-Country Vehicle is to allow numerous amateurs to participate
04:18in an affordable and fun category.
04:21This new class also enables big teams and constructors to detect up-and-coming talents.
04:27As for the cars, the category Lightweight Cross-Country Vehicles consists of two main
04:31groups or types of vehicle driven by a driver and navigator.
04:36The Challenger, which are Lightweight Prototype Vehicles.
04:39The SSV are Lightweight Series Production Vehicles.
04:43Despite the different and diverse categories through which participants can choose to compete,
04:48they are all bound by the same challenge of confronting the difficult and at times near
04:52impossible terrain of Dakar.
04:55That no matter the category, tests both man and machine to its ultimate limits.