| 2007 Dakar Rally | |
| Previous Round: | 2006 Dakar Rally |
| Next Round: | 2008 Central Europe Rally |
| Country: |  / Western Sahara |
| Category1: | Cars |
| Category2: | Bikes |
| Category3: | Trucks |
The 2007 Dakar Rally was the 29th running of the event. It started in Lisbon, Portugal on 6 January and ran through Europe and Africa until 21 January 2007. It was the last time the event would take place partially in Africa, as the 2008 event was moved to a Europe-only event because of terrorist attacks, and moved to South America from 2009.
| Stage | Bikes | Cars | Trucks | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start of Rally | 245 | 181 | 85 | 511 | |
| Rest Day | 173 | 128 | 66 | 367 | |
| End of Rally | 132 | 109 | 59 | 300 |
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Rider |
|---|---|---|---|
 KTM | 1 | ||
| 3 | |||
| 21 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 8 | |||
| 14 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 7 | |||
| 9 | |||
| 25 | |||
 Yamaha | 10 | ||
| 12 |
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Driver | Co-Driver | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi | 300 | ||||
| 302 | |||||
| 304 | |||||
| 306 | |||||
| 301 | |||||
| 303 | |||||
| 305 | |||||
| 308 | |||||
| 313 | |||||
 BMW | X-Raid | 307 | |||
| 309 | |||||
| 312 | |||||
| 314 | |||||
| 310 | |||||
| 317 | |||||
| 319 | |||||
| 329 | |||||
| Tecnosport-Italia | 342 | ||||
 Hummer | Team Gordon | 320 | |||
| Honda | Fast & Speed | 327 |
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Driver | Co-Drivers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kamaz | 500 | ||||
| 505 | |||||
| 527 | |||||
| 501 | |||||
| 508 | |||||
| 516 | |||||
| GINAF | Team De Rooy | 502 | |||
| 509 | |||||
 Tatra | 503 | ||||
| 512 | |||||
| Hino | 504 | ||||
| 507 | |||||
 Iveco | 506 |
The race began in Lisbon, Portugal, and passed through Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, and Senegal. The total race distance was, of which was timed special stage.[1] There was a rest day in Atar, Mauritania on 13 January.[2]
| Stage | Date | From | To | Distance | Stage Winners | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liaison | Special | Liaison | Total | Bikes | Cars | Trucks | |||||||||
| km | mi | km | mi | km | mi | km | mi | ||||||||
| 1 | 6 January | Lisbon | Portimão | 115 | 71 | 117 | 73 | 232 | 144 | 464 | 288 | R. Faria | C. Sousa | G. de Rooy | |
| 2 | 7 January | Portimão |  Málaga | 15 | 9.3 | 67 | 42 | 463 | 288 | 545 | 339 | H. Rodrigues | C. Sainz | Stage cancelled | |
| 3 | 8 January | Nador | Er Rachidia | 205 | 127 | 252 | 157 | 191 | 119 | 648 | 403 | M. Coma | G. de Villiers | V. Chagin | |
| 4 | 9 January | Er Rachidia | Ouarzazate | 96 | 60 | 405 | 252 | 178 | 111 | 679 | 422 | M. Coma |  J-L. Schlesser | V. Chagin | |
| 5 | 10 January | Ouarzazate | Tan-Tan | 164 | 102 | 325 | 202 | 279 | 173 | 768 | 477 | I. Esteve | C. Sainz | H. Stacey | |
| 6 | 11 January | Tan-Tan | Zouérat | 414 | 257 | 394 | 245 | 9 | 5.6 | 817 | 508 | J. Viladoms | R. Gordon | H. Stacey | |
| 7 | 12 January | Zouérat | Atar | 4 | 2.5 | 542 | 337 | 34 | 21 | 580 | 360 | C. Despres | G. de Villiers | H. Stacey | |
| 13 January | Atar | Rest day | |||||||||||||
| 8 | 14 January | Atar | Tichit | 35 | 22 | 589 | 366 | 2 | 1.2 | 626 | 389 | M. Coma | G. de Villiers | H. Stacey | |
| 9 | 15 January | Tichit | Néma | colspan=2 align=center | - | 494 | 307 | 3 | 1.9 | 497 | 309 | J. Vinters | J-L. Schlesser | W. van Ginkel | |
| 10 | 16 January | Néma | Néma | 10 | 6.2 | 336 | 227 | 24 | 15 | 400 | 250 | H. Rodrigues |  N. Al-Attiyah | A. Brouwer | |
| 11 | 17 January | Néma | Ayoun el Atrous | 280 | 170 | colspan=2 align=center | - | colspan=2 align=center | - | 280 | 170 | Stage cancelled | |||
| 12 | 18 January | Ayoun el Atrous |  Kayes | 110 | 68 | 257 | 160 | 117 | 73 | 484 | 301 | I. Esteve | C. Sainz | H. Stacey | |
| 13 | 19 January | Kayes |  Tambacounda | 180 | 110 | 260 | 160 | 18 | 11 | 458 | 285 | C. Despres | C. Sainz | A. Loprais | |
| 14 | 20 January | Tambacounda | Dakar | 124 | 77 | 225 | 140 | 227 | 141 | 576 | 358 |  J. de Azevedo | C. Sainz | P. Jacquot | |
| 15 | 21 January | Dakar | 36 | 22 | 16 | 9.9 | 41 | 25 | 93 | 58 | J. Vinters | G. de Villiers | A. Brouwer | ||
| Stage | Stage Top-3 | Make | Time | Leaders Top-3 | Make | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ruben Faria Helder Rodrigues Isidre Esteve | Yamaha Yamaha KTM | 1:22:07 1:22:23 1:27:07 | Ruben Faria Helder Rodrigues Isidre Esteve | Yamaha Yamaha KTM | 1:22:07 +0:16 +5:00 |
| 2 | Helder Rodrigues Ruben Faria Isidre Esteve | Yamaha Yamaha KTM | 1:02:44 1:03:47 1:04:29 | Helder Rodrigues Ruben Faria Isidre Esteve | Yamaha Yamaha KTM | 2:25:07 +0:47 +6:29 |
| 3 | Marc Coma Chris Blais Isidre Esteve | KTM KTM KTM | 3:07:39 3:08:35 3:10:36 | Isidre Esteve Marc Coma David Casteu | KTM KTM KTM | 5:42:12 +0:26 +1:03 |
| 4 | Marc Coma Isidre Esteve Cyril Despres | KTM KTM KTM | 4:24:54 4:40:10 4:46:50 | Marc Coma Isidre Esteve David Casteu | KTM KTM KTM | 10:10:32 +11:50 +24:20 |
| 5 | Isidre Esteve Marc Coma Cyril Despres | KTM KTM KTM | 3:56:22 3:58:16 4:01:24 | Marc Coma Isidre Esteve David Casteu | KTM KTM KTM | 14:08:48 +9:56 +37:41 |
| 6 | Jordi Viladoms Marc Coma Chris Blais | KTM KTM KTM | 3:45:45 3:46:42 3:46:45 | Marc Coma Isidre Esteve David Casteu | KTM KTM KTM | 17:55:30 +12:07 +44:39 |
| 7 | Cyril Despres Pal Anders Ullevalseter David Casteu | KTM KTM KTM | 4:30:42 4:33:28 4:35:18 | Marc Coma Isidre Esteve David Casteu | KTM KTM KTM | 22:38:34 +10:47 +36:53 |
| 8 | Marc Coma Cyril Despres Pal Anders Ullevalseter | KTM KTM KTM | 7:46:13 7:56:15 8:10:13 | Marc Coma Cyril Despres David Casteu | KTM KTM KTM | 30:24:47 +54:58 +1:03:15 |
| 9 |  Janis Vinters Cyril Despres Marc Coma | KTM KTM KTM | 6:08:51 6:16:22 6:16:44 | Marc Coma Cyril Despres David Casteu | KTM KTM KTM | 36:41:31 +54:36 +1:11:15 |
| 10 | Helder Rodrigues Marc Coma Cyril Despres | Yamaha KTM KTM | 4:12:55 4:13:39 4:13:46 | Marc Coma Cyril Despres David Casteu | KTM KTM KTM | 40:55:10 +54:43 +1:15:12 |
| 11 | No competitive race held | |||||
| 12 | Isidre Esteve Paulo Gonçalves  Jacek Czachor | KTM Honda KTM | 3:34:46 3:37:49 3:38:50 | Marc Coma Cyril Despres David Casteu | KTM KTM KTM | 44:47:16 +52:48 +1:10:13 |
| 13 | Cyril Despres Chris Blais Michel Marchini | KTM KTM Yamaha | 3:00:56 3:07:03 3:11:21 | Cyril Despres David Casteu Chris Blais | KTM KTM KTM | 48:41:00 +32:56 +54:52 |
| 14 | Jean de Azevedo Jacek Czachor Janis Vinters | KTM KTM KTM | 2:37:46 2:39:51 2:42:51 | Cyril Despres David Casteu Chris Blais | KTM KTM KTM | 51:25:49 +36:09 +53:01 |
| 15 | Janis Vinters Pal Anders Ullevalseter Helder Rodrigues | KTM KTM Yamaha | 0:08:42 0:08:49 0:09:07 | Cyril Despres David Casteu Chris Blais | KTM KTM KTM | 51:36:53 +34:19 +52:06 |
| Stage | Stage Top-3 | Make | Time | Leaders Top-3 | Make | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Sousa Giniel de Villiers Carlos Sainz | Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen | 1:20:38 1:23:09 1:23:16 | Carlos Sousa Giniel de Villiers Carlos Sainz | Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen | 1:20:38 +2:31 +2:38 |
| 2 | Carlos Sainz Nani Roma Luc Alphand | Volkswagen Mitsubishi Mitsubishi | 0:59:26 0:59:55 0:59:55 | Carlos Sousa Carlos Sainz Giniel de Villiers | Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen | 2:21:57 +0:45 +2:12 |
| 3 | Giniel de Villiers Carlos Sainz Stéphane Peterhansel | Volkswagen Volkswagen Mitsubishi | 2:46:12 2:46:37 2:49:30 | Carlos Sainz Giniel de Villiers Carlos Sousa | Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen | 5:09:19 +1:02 +4:26 |
| 4 | Jean-Louis Schlesser Carlos Sousa Carlos Sainz | Schlesser-Ford Volkswagen Volkswagen | 3:59:54 4:07:46 4:07:52 | Carlos Sainz Giniel de Villiers Carlos Sousa | Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen | 9:17:11 +1:55 +4:20 |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz Stéphane Peterhansel Giniel de Villiers | Volkswagen Mitsubishi Volkswagen | 3:36:39 3:37:09 3:38:20 | Carlos Sainz Giniel de Villiers Carlos Sousa | Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen | 12:53:50 +3:36 +11:17 |
| 6 | Robby Gordon Jean-Louis Schlesser Giniel de Villiers | Hummer Schlesser-Ford Volkswagen | 2:58:57 2:59:14 3:05:49 | Carlos Sainz Giniel de Villiers Carlos Sousa | Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen | 16:00:04 +3:11 +14:03 |
| 7 | Giniel de Villiers Stéphane Peterhansel Carlos Sainz | Volkswagen Mitsubishi Volkswagen | 4:00:46 4:03:32 4:05:36 | Giniel de Villiers Carlos Sainz Stéphane Peterhansel | Volkswagen Volkswagen Mitsubishi | 20:04:01 +1:39 +24:38 |
| 8 | Giniel de Villiers Stéphane Peterhansel Luc Alphand | Volkswagen Mitsubishi Mitsubishi | 7:31:52 7:38:27 7:41:03 | Giniel de Villiers Stéphane Peterhansel Luc Alphand | Volkswagen Mitsubishi Mitsubishi | 27:35:53 +31:13 +43:04 |
| 9 | Jean-Louis Schlesser Luc Alphand Stéphane Peterhansel | Schlesser-Ford Mitsubishi Mitsubishi | 5:32:03 5:32:16 5:36:17 | Stéphane Peterhansel Luc Alphand Jean-Louis Schlesser[3] | Mitsubishi Mitsubishi Schlesser-Ford | 33:43:23 +7:50 +1:25:32 |
| 10 | Nasser Al-Attiyah Hiroshi Masuoka Mark Miller | BMW Mitsubishi Volkswagen | 3:49:48 3:50:16 3:51:37 | Stéphane Peterhansel Luc Alphand Jean-Louis Schlesser | Mitsubishi Mitsubishi Schlesser-Ford | 37:35:19 +9:56 +1:30:50 |
| 11 | No competitive race held | |||||
| 12 | Carlos Sainz Carlos Sousa Luc Alphand | Volkswagen Volkswagen Mitsubishi | 2:58:56 3:02:49 3:03:48 | Stéphane Peterhansel Luc Alphand Jean-Louis Schlesser | Mitsubishi Mitsubishi Schlesser-Ford | 40:42:34 +6:29 +1:34:02 |
| 13 | Carlos Sainz Stéphane Peterhansel Mark Miller | Volkswagen Mitsubishi Volkswagen | 2:30:22 2:30:48 2:32:40 | Stéphane Peterhansel Luc Alphand Jean-Louis Schlesser | Mitsubishi Mitsubishi Schlesser-Ford | 43:13:22 +11:15 +1:38:47 |
| 14 | Carlos Sainz Giniel de Villiers Carlos Sousa | Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen | 2:21:02 2:21:09 2:21:47 | Stéphane Peterhansel Luc Alphand Jean-Louis Schlesser | Mitsubishi Mitsubishi Schlesser-Ford | 45:42:45 +7:16 +1:36:24 |
| 15 | Giniel de Villiers Carlos Sainz Robby Gordon | Volkswagen Volkswagen Hummer | 0:07:42 0:07:44 0:08:08 | Stéphane Peterhansel Luc Alphand Jean-Louis Schlesser | Mitsubishi Mitsubishi Schlesser-Ford | 45:53:37 +7:26 +1:33:57 |
| Stage | Stage Top-3 | Make | Time | Leaders Top-3 | Make | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gerard de Rooy Hans Stacey Vladimir Chagin | GINAF MAN Kamaz | 1:40:00 1:40:20 1:40:46 | Gerard de Rooy Hans Stacey Vladimir Chagin | GINAF MAN Kamaz | 1:40:00 +0:20 +0:46 |
| 2 | No competitive race held | |||||
| 3 | Vladimir Chagin Gerard de Rooy Hans Stacey | Kamaz GINAF MAN | 3:22:13 3:32:52 3:33:48 | Vladimir Chagin Gerard de Rooy Hans Stacey | Kamaz GINAF MAN | 5:02:59 +9:53 +11:09 |
| 4 | Vladimir Chagin Hans Stacey Ilgizar Mardeev | Kamaz MAN Kamaz | 4:56:13 5:09:08 5:25:19 | Vladimir Chagin Hans Stacey Gerard de Rooy | Kamaz MAN GINAF | 9:59:12 +24:04 +54:48 |
| 5 | Hans Stacey Gerard de Rooy Ilgizar Mardeev | MAN GINAF Kamaz | 3:41:59 3:45:50 3:53:45 | Hans Stacey Gerard de Rooy Ilgizar Mardeev | MAN GINAF Kamaz | 14:05:15 +34:35 +1:30:27 |
| 6 | Hans Stacey Gerard de Rooy Ilgizar Mardeev | MAN GINAF Kamaz | 3:39:58 3:54:05 3:56:10 | Hans Stacey Gerard de Rooy Ilgizar Mardeev | MAN GINAF Kamaz | 17:45:13 +48:42 +1:46:39 |
| 7 | Hans Stacey Philippe Jacquot Tomáš Tomeček | MAN MAN Tatra | 4:51:44 5:18:36 5:19:41 | Hans Stacey Ilgizar Mardeev Wulfert van Ginkel | MAN Kamaz GINAF | 22:36:57 +2:16:28 +3:13:14 |
| 8 | Hans Stacey Ilgizar Mardeev Arjan Brouwer | MAN Kamaz GINAF | 8:58:49 9:38:57 9:41:37 | Hans Stacey Ilgizar Mardeev Wulfert van Ginkel | MAN Kamaz GINAF | 31:35:46 +2:56:36 +4:31:22 |
| 9 | Wulfert van Ginkel Hans Stacey Aleš Loprais | GINAF MAN Tatra | 6:47:47 7:00:15 7:01:07 | Hans Stacey Ilgizar Mardeev Wulfert van Ginkel | MAN Kamaz GINAF | 38:36:01 +3:07:11 +4:18:54 |
| 10 | Arjan Brouwer André de Azevedo Ilgizar Mardeev | GINAF Tatra Kamaz | 4:36:22 4:43:55 4:45:43 | Hans Stacey Ilgizar Mardeev Wulfert van Ginkel | MAN Kamaz GINAF | 43:38:51 +2:50:04 +4:18:48 |
| 11 | No competitive race held | |||||
| 12 | Hans Stacey Tomáš Tomeček Wulfert van Ginkel | MAN Tatra GINAF | 3:48:04 3:52:57 3:53:54 | Hans Stacey Ilgizar Mardeev Wulfert van Ginkel | MAN Kamaz GINAF | 47:26:55 +2:59:36 +4:24:38 |
| 13 | Aleš Loprais Hans Stacey Ilgizar Mardeev | Tatra MAN Kamaz | 3:17:43 3:21:08 3:24:22 | Hans Stacey Ilgizar Mardeev Wulfert van Ginkel | MAN Kamaz GINAF | 50:48:03 +3:02:50 +4:28:25 |
| 14 | Philippe Jacquot Aleš Loprais André de Azevedo | MAN Tatra Tatra | 2:53:44 2:58:17 3:03:16 | Hans Stacey Ilgizar Mardeev Aleš Loprais | MAN Kamaz Tatra | 53:52:15 +3:08:15 +4:45:49 |
| 15 | Arjan Brouwer Aleš Loprais Hans Bekx | GINAF Tatra DAF | 0:09:39 0:10:31 0:10:33 | Hans Stacey Ilgizar Mardeev Aleš Loprais | MAN Kamaz Tatra | 54:03:05 +3:10:52 +4:45:30 |
A total of 132 bikes (52.8% of starters), 109 cars (58.3%), and 60 trucks (68.2%) finished the race.
| Pos | No | Rider | Bike | Entrant | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Cyril Despres | KTM 690 Rally | Gauloises-KTM | 51:36:53 | |
| 2 | 8 | David Casteu | KTM 690 Rally | Gauloises-KTM | 52:11:12 | |
| 3 | 9 | Chris Blais | KTM 660 Rally | Red Bull KTM USA | 52:28:59 | |
| 4 | 6 | Pål Anders Ullevålseter | KTM 660 Rally | Team Scandinavia | 53:14:50 | |
| 5 | 10 | Helder Rodrigues | Yamaha 450 WRF | Bianchiprata Compet Vodafone | 54:07:34 | |
| 6 | 23 | Janis Vinters | KTM 660 Rally | JV Moto Team Riga | 54:21:14 | |
| 7 | 20 | Michel Marchini | Yamaha 450 WRF | 54:37:20 | ||
| 8 | 85 | Thierry Bethys | Honda 450 CRF X | Honda Europe | 55:03:26 | |
| 9 | 103 |  Jaroslav Katriňák | KTM 660 Rally | Mol Dakar Team | 55:17:03 | |
| 10 | 16 | Jacek Czachor | KTM 660 Rally | Orlen Team | 56:00:57 |
| Pos | No | Driver | Co-Driver | Car | Entrant | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 302 | Stéphane Peterhansel | Jean-Paul Cottret | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution | Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart | 45:53:37 | |
| 2 | 300 | Luc Alphand | Gilles Picard | Mitsubishi Pajero | Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart | 46:01:03 | |
| 3 | 310 | Jean-Louis Schlesser | Arnaud Debron | Schlesser-Ford | Schlesser-Ford Raid | 47:27:34 | |
| 4 | 305 | Mark Miller | Ralph Pitchford | Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 | Volkswagen Motorsport | 48:03:53 | |
| 5 | 306 | Hiroshi Masuoka | Pascal Maimon | Mitsubishi Pajero | Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart | 48:38:08 | |
| 6 | 309 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Alain Guehennec | BMW X3 | X-Raid | 49:25:36 | |
| 7 | 313 | Carlos Sousa | Andreas Schulz | Volkswagen Touareg 2 | Team Lagos | 51:04:31 | |
| 8 | 320 | Robby Gordon | Andy Grider | Hummer H3 | Team Gordon | 52:57:44 | |
| 9 | 303 | Carlos Sainz | Michel Perin | Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 | Volkswagen Motorsport | 53:19:22 | |
| 10 | 318 |  Stephane Henrard | Brigitte Becue | Volkswagen Buggy | Henrard Racing Team | 54:22:06 |
| Pos | No | Driver | Co-Drivers | Truck | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 501 | Hans Stacey | Charly Gotlib Bernard der Kinderen | MAN TGA | 54:03:05 | |
| 2 | 527 | Ilgizar Mardeev | Aydar Belyaev Eduard Nikolaev | Kamaz 4911 | 57:13:57 | |
| 3 | 512 | Aleš Loprais | Petr Gilar | Tatra T815 | 58:48:35 | |
| 4 | 513 | Wulfert van Ginkel | Willem Tijsterman Richard de Rooy | GINAF X 2222 | 58:54:15 | |
| 5 | 503 | André de Azevedo | Maykel Justo Jaromír Martinec | Tatra T815 | 59:19:02 | |
| 6 | 508 | Philippe Jacquot | Willy Alcaraz Toon van Genugten | MAN | 60:03:32 | |
| 7 | 505 | Sergey Reshetnikov | Andrey Mokeev Eduard Kupriyanov | Kamaz 4911 | 61:50:47 | |
| 8 | 530 | Arjan Brouwer | Simon Koetsier Gerard van Veenendaal | GINAF X 2222 | 62:30:31 | |
| 9 | 507 | Teruhito Sugawara | Seiichi Suzuki Akira Koishizawa | Hino Ranger - Pro FT | 65:05:47 | |
| 10 | 516 | Franz Echter | Detlef Ruf Edwin van Dooren | MAN TGA | 65:13:08 |
The 2007 event was marred by the deaths of two competitors, both in the motorcycle division. The first was South African motorcyclist Elmer Symons, who was competing in the rally for the first time, on the fourth stage between Er Rachidia and Ouarzazate. He was the 47th competitor to die taking part in the Dakar.[4] The second death occurred on the 14th and penultimate stage; French motorcyclist Eric Aubijoux was found dead from the finish line in Dakar. Initial reports indicated he had suffered a fatal heart attack.[5] Later investigations indicated he had been involved earlier in an accident with another vehicle.[6] [7]