Dakar 2025 – This record that Vatanen and Peterhansel could lose in 2025

Ari Vatanen and Stéphane Peterhansel risk being regularly cited throughout the 47th edition of the Dakar, the start of which is scheduled for January 3, 2025 in Saudi Arabia. “Monsieur Dakar” and the “Flying Finn” remain, before the start of the 2025 Dakar, the co-record holders for stage victories in the Auto category, but this could change between now and the arrival scheduled for January 17. …

Indeed, the four-time winner of the African Paris-Dakar (three times with Peugeot, once with Citroën) between 1987 and 1991 has held this record since January 6, 2004. At the time, the Nordic had set the best time of the stage linking the Moroccan cities of Tangier and Er-Rachidia over 748 km aboard a Nissan prototype. Regarding Stéphane Peterhansel, it was during the last Dakar, on January 7, 2024, that the man with eight Dakar titles in the Auto category joined Ari Vatanen in the list of stage victories on the most legendary of rallies- raid. A record set behind the wheel of the Audi RS Q e-tron hybrid 4×4 last year.

However, before the start of the 47th edition, another Dakar legend is chasing their record. Nasser Al-Attiyah, five-time winner of the event, can boast of having 47 stage victories to his credit and could equal, or even surpass, the record held by Ari Vatanen and Stéphane Peterhansel. At the wheel of the Dacid Sandrider, the Qatari will act as favorite in 2025.

Mathematically in the running (there will be 12 stages on the 2025 Dakar), Carlos Sainz (Ford) would need a massacre from his adversaries as well as Olympic form to erase the great Ari and Stéphane from the shelves. “El Matador”, four-time winner of the rally-raid – including the last edition organized in 2024 – has gleaned 42 stage victories on the Dakar.

As for Sébastien Loeb, even if he has not (yet?) won the Dakar in eight participations, he could join the Top 5 of drivers having won the most stage victories on the Dakar. With 28 stage victories, he is only one success away from 5th place, held by the legendary Jacky Ickx (29 stage victories).

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