Now regarded as one of the most popular motor sport events in the world, this year’s Dakar Rally is a perfect advert for that target coming to fruition. The event attracted a record 603 competitors, including 73 T1 crews, two T2s, 47 lightweight prototype T3s, 46 T4 SSVs, 56 trucks and an additional 76 Dakar Classic cars and 13 Dakar classic trucks.

Including entries in the motorcycle class, there were competitors from 68 nations. France was the most dominant on the entry list with 143 representatives, followed by 83 from Spain and 75 from the Netherlands. But there are entrants from as far afield as several countries in South America, Africa, Australia, North America, Europe, the Middle East and other Asian countries, including China, India, Japan and Kyrgyzstan.

Breaking down that diverse list still further, there were 150 competitors (rookies) entering the gruelling opening round of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) for the first time and 54 women taking part, including 20 in the Dakar Classic and five female-only race crews.

FIA President Mohammed ben Sulayem and Robert Reid, FIA Deputy President for Sport, were greeted by His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), when they arrived for a rest day visit in Riyadh. The duo took a tour of the bivouac and met many of the leading crews, some of the younger competitors and female entrants.

“Everywhere you look in the Riyadh bivouac, you see diversity both in terms of technology and sustainability but more importantly, diversity of culture, age and gender,” said FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. “It is really pleasing to see young drivers both male and female being given a chance. It is also encouraging to see the number of Saudi nationals, particularly young women, playing key roles in the Dakar Rally organisation and other motor sport disciplines not just as drivers and co-drivers but as project managers and engineers and many other roles. Motor sport has given them an opportunity and is an accurate reflection of the positive change which is taking place in the Kingdom and aligns very much with the FIA policy on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.”

Reid added: “We’ve been walking around the bivouac, meeting some of the competitors, seeing two Saudi women competing alongside many other women, some very young competitors as well. There are teams like South Racing that are introducing academy programs to bring on competitors - but not just competitors: engineers, mechanics as well - from different areas of the world, from diverse backgrounds. And this is really what we need to see if we want to meet our target to doubling motor sport participation.”

The diverse nature of the Dakar has been spectacularly successful over recent years and 2023 is no exception.

For example, 18-year-old Eryk Goczal is taking part in the Dakar for the first time as a member of the Cobant-Energylandia Rally Team, alongside his father Marek and uncle Michal in a three-car team. The rookie created history during the first week when he became the youngest ever winner of a stage on the Dakar. The Pole currently holds third place in the T4 category, has won two stages and is well-placed to challenge for overall honours this week.

Likewise, talented young American Seth Quintero is taking part in the T3 category, driving a Can-Am Maverick X3 as part of the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA presented by BF Goodrich. Last year, he created history by winning a record 11 stages on the Dakar and currently lies third in his class, around an hour behind the leader with six stages still to run. He already has one stage win under his belt this time.

Female drivers have an impressive record on the Dakar and a long history of success. Germany’s Jutta Kleinschmidt re-wrote the history books way back in 2001 when she became the first woman ever to win the event outright in a Mitsubishi Pajero and women now compete across all the classes.

This year, the current Extreme E champion Cristinia Gutierrez is taking part as a member of the Red Bull Can-Am Factory Team and lies fourth in T3 at the rest day. She is also the highest-placed of all the female drivers in the general classification.

Germany’s Annett Fischer and Swedish co-driver Annie Seel are a fine fifth of the W2RC entrants in the same class in their X-raid Yamaha, while former FIA Bajas T3 world champion Dania Akeel is ninth after fighting back from an accident last week. UAE-based all-rounder Aliyyah Koloc is three places further behind in her Buggyra Racing entry.

Mashael Al-Obaidan was the first Saudi female to be issued with a competition licence and is also competing in the T3 category, where she is currently the fifth classified female behind Gutierréz, Van Loon, Fischer and Camelia Liparoti. The Can-Am pilot has been a regular on the FIA World and Middle East Baja Cup scene and is aiming for a top 20 finish in her class. 

Meanwhile, in the T4 category, WRC star and Extreme E driver Molly Taylor is making waves in cross-country rallying as well. The Australian has also overcome a first week accident to hold seventh of the W2RC contenders in her class. Dutch lady Anya van Loon has followed her husband Erik into the sport and is running well in the T3 category heading into the second week.