1997 Dakar Rally also known as the 1997 Paris–Dakar Rally was the 19th running of the Dakar Rally event. The rally started and finished in Dakar, taking in a loop including Niger and the Ténéré desert.[1] Jutta Kleinschmidt became the first woman to win a stage of the Dakar Rally.[1] Japanese driver, Kenjiro Shinozuka, won the car class and Stephane Peterhansel won his fifth motorcycle title.[1]
| Stage | Date | From | To | Total (km) | Stage winners | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bikes | Cars | Trucks | ||||||
| 1 | 4 January | 587 |  E. Pelichet | |||||
| 2 | 5 January |  Tambacounda | 594 | S. Peterhansel |  P. Reif | |||
| 3 | 6 January |  Kayes | 592 | S. Peterhansel | P. Reif | |||
| 4 | 7 January | Nara | 658 | S. Peterhansel |  M. Koreny | |||
| 5 | 8 January | Timbuktu | 482 | J-P. Fontenay | P. Reif | |||
| 6 | 9 January | Gao | 332 | S. Peterhansel |  K. Shinozuka | B. Slenovsky | ||
| 7 | 10 January | Ménaka | 396 | J-P. Fontenay | K. Loprais | |||
| 8 | 11 January | Tahoua | 820 | S. Peterhansel | K. Shinozuka | K. Loprais | ||
| 12 January | Agadez | Rest day | ||||||
| 9 | 13 January | Agadez | 460 | T. Magnaldi | P. Reif | |||
| 10 | 14 January | Oclan | 537 | P. Reif | ||||
| 11 | 15 January | Kidal | Timbuktu | 577 | P. Reif | |||
| 12 | 16 January | Timbuktu | 588 | S. Peterhansel | J-P. Fontenay | P. Reif | ||
| 13 | 17 January |  Néma | 604 | P. Reif | ||||
| 14 | 18 January | Kiffa | 751 | J-P. Fontenay | P. Reif | |||
| 15 | 19 January | Saint-Louis | Dakar | 255 |  J. Kleinschmidt |  J. Petit |
| Pos | No. | Rider | Bike | Entrant | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Stéphane Peterhansel | Yamaha | Yamaha Motor France | 65:14:37 | |
| 2 | 17 |  Oscar Gallardo | Cagiva | Pelayo Mutua de Seguros | +2:35:16 | |
| 3 | 8 | David Castera | Yamaha | Yamaha Motor France | +2:56:25 | |
| 4 | 7 |  Jimmy Lewis | KTM | KTM USA | +3:28:15 | |
| 5 | 11 | Dirk von Zitzewitz | KTM | KTM Sport | +4:28:38 | |
| 6 | 73 | Jurgen Mayer | KTM | MSA | +6:01:53 | |
| 7 | 45 | Jean Brucy | KTM | Raid Aventure | +7:17:10 | |
| 8 | 41 |  Paulo Manuel Marques | KTM | Portugal RPM | +7:18:10 | |
| 9 | 27 | Norbert Schilcher | KTM | MSA | +7:20:30 | |
| 10 | 10 | Eric Bernard | KTM | E.Leclerc | +7:27:54 |
| Pos | No. | Driver | Co-Driver | Car | Entrant | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 205 | Kenjiro Shinozuka |  Henri Magne | Mitsubishi | Sonauto Mitsubishi | 61:56:31 | |
| 2 | 200 | Jean-Pierre Fontenay | Bruno Musmarra | Mitsubishi | Sonauto Mitsubishi | +4:16 | |
| 3 | 202 | Bruno Saby | Dominique Serieys | Mitsubishi | Sonauto Mitsubishi | +9:12 | |
| 4 | 220 | Hiroshi Masuoka | Andreas Schulz | Mitsubishi | Sonauto Mitsubishi | +2:25:27 | |
| 5 | 206 | Jutta Kleinschmidt | Jean Boutaire | Schlesser | Schlesser-SEAT | +4:35:51 | |
| 6 | 204 | Salvador Servia | Gilles Picard | Nissan | Nissan Europe | +5:15:14 | |
| 7 | 216 | Jean-Pierre Strugo | Bruno Catarelli | Mitsubishi | Mitsubishi International | +6:20:08 | |
| 8 | 208 | Duarte Guedes | Jacky Dubois | Nissan | Team Dessoude | +9:23:13 | |
| 9 | 268 |  Edoardo Argazzi | Riccardo Argazzi | Nissan | Team Dessoude | +9:40:41 | |
| 10 | 224 | Carlos Sousa | Philippe Rey | Mitsubishi | Mitsubishi International | +23:28:05 |
| Pos | No. | Driver | Co-Drivers | Truck | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 427 | Peter Reif | Johann Deinhofer | Hino | 78:21:02 | |
| 2 | 402 | Yoshimasa Sugawara | Naoko Matsumoto Katsumi Hamura | Hino | +3:33:27 | |
| 3 | 411 | Joseph Petit | Jean-Christophe Wagner Takeshi Hashimoto | Hino | +4:08:52 | |
| 4 | 425 | Edmond Pelichet | Hubert Molina | Mercedes-Benz | +6:43:50 | |
| 5 | 406 | Gilbert Versino | Christian Lacourt Christian Versino | Mitsubishi | +7:51:50 | |
| 6 | 415 | Christophe Granjon | Masaaki Imai Anthony Martineau | Mitsubishi | +10:33:16 | |
| 7 | 404 | Christian Barbier | Eric André Jean-Louis Berger | Mercedes-Benz | +15:41:33 | |
| 8 | 417 | Yves Ferri | Michel Plateau Hubert Auvray | Mercedes-Benz | +22:11:30 | |
| 9 | 433 | Bernard Malferiol | Patrick Croset Jean Rodrigues | Mercedes-Benz | +23:43:18 | |
| 10 | 434 | Michel Gambillon | Raymond Louin Reynald Prive | Mercedes-Benz | +25:52:51 |