The 2009 Dakar Rally was the 31st running of the Dakar Rally. In addition to motorcycle, automobile, and truck categories, a separate quad class was added for the first time. The race began on 3 January 2009, and took place across Argentina and Chile. The rally was for the first time to take place outside of Europe and Africa as the location was changed by organizers due to concerns about possible terrorist attacks that resulted in the moving of the 2008 edition from the traditional route to Senegal to Hungary and Romania in the spring.
Cars before the event began
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev meets with the KAMAZ-Master team at the Moscow Kremlin on 28 January 2009.
The quad class winner J. Macháček (CZE) driving Yamaha.
The car category winners G. De Villiers (RSA) and D. von Zitzewitz (GER) in Volkswagen.
The Dakar Rally or simply "The Dakar", formerly known as the "Paris–Dakar Rally", is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since the inception in 1978 were staged from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal. Security threats in Mauritania led to the cancellation of the 2008 rally, and events from 2009 to 2019 were held in South America. Since 2020, the rally has been held in Saudi Arabia. The event is open to amateur and professional entries, professionals typically making up about eighty percent of the participants.
Thierry Sabine, founder of the Dakar Rally, pictured in 1986.
1981 Dakar competitor Rolls-Royce Corniche.
Tracks through the Sahara desert in Mauritania.
Cars on display in 1993 in Paris.
