Ask anyone in professional motorsports what the hardest race in the world is, and you’ll probably get the same answer: the Dakar Rally. To compete is to risk it all in one of the harshest environments on earth. The 2025 edition of the race will start in Bisha and end in Shubaytah, both in Saudi Arabia on January 3rd to 17th. But it’s really not about where it starts and ends, it’s about what’s in the middle, or about what’s not in the middle–civilization. The route travels through the Empty Quarter, the largest sea of sand on the planet, an inhospitable region that remains unoccupied by humans. The support trucks that aid the teams in crossing this terrain even compete in their own class. When it comes to Dakar, nothing operates like an ordinary race.
The race uses a “rally raid” format which means teams will use nothing but a roadbook containing a route map to cross vast expanses of adverse terrain, sometimes driving for up to 12 hours straight, with special stages along the route. Both the overall route is timed along with distinct timing rules for special stages like the 48HR chrono and the Marathon stage–that’s where TUDOR comes in. TUDOR will serve as the official timekeeper of the event, making sure every second is accounted for across every stage. In such a demanding race, timing is absolutely essential because it’s not just about speed, it’s about endurance.
“Dakar” as it’s now known can be traced back to the moment when Thierry Sabine, a French motorbike racer, lost his way during the 1977 Abidjan-Nice Rally and ended up stranded in the Sahara Desert. He was eventually rescued, but he observed just how challenging and unforgiving the desert could be–and this gave him the idea to make it the central theme of what would become the toughest race in the world. In 1978, the first edition of the Paris-Dakar began. The name has since been changed simply to the Dakar Rally.
TUDOR has established a long legacy of racing. TUDOR supported winning teams during the golden era of motorsport, starting with the Tudor Watch Racing Team in the late ‘60s, all the way to an ongoing partnership with the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One team. Now, in 2025, TUDOR is the official timekeeper of the most daring off-road race on Earth, the Dakar Rally.
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