ASO begins accepting 2025 Dakar Rally hopefuls

“Once again this year, many of you have shown your attachment to the DAKAR and submitted your candidature in the Bike category for the 2025 edition, and we thank you for it,” begins the letter that everyone has been anxiously awaiting.

“After careful consideration of each application, we are pleased to announce that you have been selected as one of the 130 riders who will take part in the 47th edition of the Dakar Rally, to be held from January 3 to 17, 2025, from Bisha to Shubaytah.

“14 days of racing, including the famous 48h Chrono stage in addition to the Marathon stage, 3 days in a row immersed in the ocean of dunes of the Empty Quarter and 5 special stages separated by category… in one of the world’s largest and oldest deserts. Everything about it will be spectacular and mesmerizing.

“By taking part in the world’s greatest rally-raid, you will not only be writing the history of your own challenge, but also that of the DAKAR legend. We’re delighted to count you among the competitors in this next edition, and will be at your side throughout this unique adventure.”

Bike applications for the 2025 Dakar Rally closed on 15 July, while the Amaury Sport Organisation began sending out acceptance messages starting Friday. All riders regardless of qualifications are required to apply, meaning even those like former winner Romain Dumontier and veterans Kirsten Landman and Jan Brabec had to go through the process. Even then, they probably have it easy as the ASO is already familiar with them.

For those who have never raced the Dakar, waiting can be a nerve-wracking experience. Once they get it, they inch one step closer to their dream. If they don’t, it’s back to the drawing board for another year.

Justin Gerlach knows how it feels to be on the receiving end of both. The German had registered for the 2024 Dakar, hoping his efforts at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and Rallye Breslau were enough to sway the ASO, to no avail. One year and another ADDC under his belt later, the organisers finally gave him the thumbs up.

Iván Merichal also initially planned to race in 2024 but came up short. To bolster his credentials, he signed up for the ADDC and finished twenty-fourth in Rally2, securing his trip.

Willem Avenant, who directly placed behind Merichal in Abu Dhabi, now has his Dakar début locked in. Avenant has been meticulously tracking his efforts to qualify for the race in his Decoding Dakar series, which he hopes can be used as a reference for other Dakar aspirants.

“All system[s] go,” Avenant remarked to The Checkered Flag after being accepted.

Fellow South African Dwain Barnard is set for his maiden Dakar as well, bolstered by an eighteenth in class at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid.

FIM Bajas World Cup regular Robbie Wallace impressed in his maiden World Rally-Raid Championship race when he finished sixth in Rally2 at the Desafío Ruta 40 last month. That was more than enough to convince the ASO to let the American race his first Dakar. This was also the case for Leonardo Cola, a CaNav Rally Raid star who finished two spots back.

Two-time Rallye Breslau winner Nerimantas Jucius had his ADDC end with a crash, spoiling an otherwise impressive run. Still, the ASO was convinced by what he showed to let him in.

Damien Bataller narrowly missed out on a Rally2 top ten at Abu Dhabi, but his eleventh along with running the Rallye du Maroc last October were still grounds to clinch his acceptance. He plans to race the Dakar solo in the Original by Motul (Malle Moto) subcategory. Ferran Zaragoza has also done a litany of W2RC races, including a sixteenth at the DR 40, to confirm his acceptance.

Others return after a long time away. Andrew Houlihan will race in 2025 after last entering a Dakar in 2022; while he has not run any W2RC rounds outside of that Dakar, he finished runner-up in the 2023 FIM Bajas‘ Veterans Trophy.

Maxime Pouponnot finished forty-ninth at the Rallye du Maroc in 2023, his only W2RC race to date, to qualify. He will follow in his father’s footsteps twenty-five years after Laurent Pouponnot last raced the Dakar. Likewise, Mathieu Feuvier qualified with his strong runs at the 2022 and 2023 Morocco rallies. Marshall Méplon earned it with a twenty-first at the Rallye du Maroc in just his second career rally raid.

The ASO introduced a revamped application process for the 2025 Dakar that utilises a points system in which certain races that are relevant to the Dakar, meaning desert rallies and those part of the W2RC award more than others. Six races, including the other four W2RC events, are part of the Road to Dakar in which the best performing rider or driver without Dakar experience earn free registration. With the RtD’s Sonora Rally and Rallye du Maroc scheduled for October, those who were rejected by the ASO in July can change their minds with strong outings there.

It is also important to note that being accepted does not guarantee taking part in the race. The ASO’s letter stresses the entry will “only be confirmed” upon completing pre-race scrutineering in Bisha.

Even with their tickets to Saudi Arabia punched, independent riders are not fully confirmed yet as they must now try to afford the trip. Gerlach told TCF last year that accepted riders must enter a payment plan that entails paying roughly €13,000 in September and October. Besides payments to the ASO, riders are on the hook for expenses like lodging, travel, and crews, which they often cover either out of pocket or through fundraisers.