The Road to Dakar will continue in 2026, offering free registration for SSV drivers at the 2027 or 2028 Dakar Rallies while giving points to riders that bolster their chances of being accepted.

Competitors are eligible for the Road to Dakar if they have never raced Dakar in any category, been an FIA priority driver or FIM RallyGP rider, is not on a factory team, and have not won an RtD at a prior race.

All four non-Dakar W2RC races are part of the RtD along with the South African Safari Rally and Sonora Rally. The SA Safari Rally, which debuted on the W2RC calendar in 2025 before becoming an alternating date with the Desafío Ruta 40, is the only RtD round where the free Dakar entry is for the Ultimate class instead of SSV and the lone event where the program doesn’t apply to bikes.

The Sonora Rally was on the W2RC for a single season in 2023. It also awards more points than the Rally Raid Portugal despite the latter currently being part of the championship since Sonora is a desert rally like Dakar, as opposed to the forests and rocks of the Iberian Peninsula. While the RtD bike winner doesn’t get their entry fee waived, Sonora organizers pay off $10,000 of the money to whoever wins their Dakar Dreams challenge.

Riders are unable to use Portugal alone to qualify for Dakar.

The Rallye du Maroc and Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge respectively give out 15 and 12 points, the former the most of any RtD event since teams like to use Morocco to prepare for Dakar. However, those are for the 2028 Dakar since they take place after the ASO has sent out acceptance letters for the 2027 race in July.

Riders earn points for finishing the race regardless of their position, though three bonus points are awarded if one’s final time is within 1.3 times that of the Rally2 winner. Simply earning points does not guarantee the ASO will accept a rider, however, as you will also need to provide a convincing argument in your application.

Road to Dakar winners in 2025 include Fouché Blignaut at the South African Safari Rally, Paulo Rodrigues at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, and Mindaugas Sidabras at the Rallye du Maroc.

2026 Road to Dakar points

Race	Date	FIA Class	Bike Points
Sonora Rally*	March 15–20	SSV	6
BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal	March 17–22	SSV	8
Desafío Ruta 40	May 24–29	SSV	12
South African Safari Rally*	June	Ultimate	N/A
Rallye du Maroc	September 28 – October 3	SSV	15
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge	November 22–27	SSV	12

Featured image credit: Leandro López