After hosting a non-competition revival in January, The Real Way to Dakar will return on January 18–30, 2027 with an actual Race category.

Emulating the route of a certain rally’s halcyon days, the race will begin with a pre-start in Paris and run through Morocco, Western Sahara, and Mauritania before concluding in Senegal on Lac Rose. There will be 13 stages total.

“For 2027, we are proud to reopen the Race category, allowing competitors to once again test themselves in a true rally environment,” reads the race website.

“Participants can choose between the Adventure category, focusing on the journey and experience, or the Race category for those aiming to compete and push themselves and their machines across the full route to Dakar.”

Created by Jiri Vasatko as the Intercontinental Rally, the race ran from 2011 to 2024 and adopted its current name in 2020. It was then canceled as organizers Jacob Ilskov and Kasper van Deurs—who had overseen the race since 2019—were dealing with family emergencies.

Thomas Roland, who’s competed in The Real Way to Dakar, and Danish military veteran Petur Gotfredsson eventually assumed ownership of the race. The initial plan was to revive the rally in 2027, but a local race being called off encouraged them to run an Adventure-only edition in January. Roland oversees planning and the route, while Gotfredsson is tasked with planning.

The following categories are available:

• Motorcycles: M1 (up to 450cc), M2 (451cc to 690cc), M3 (691cc to 950cc), and non-fossil fuel
• Quads: Q1 (up to 700cc), Q2 (701cc and up), and non-fossil fuel
• Buggy: Up to 1,499cc and non-fossil fuel
• Cars: C1 (up to 3,000cc), C2 (3,001cc to 4,200cc), C3 (4,201cc and up), and non-fossil fuel
• Veteran: Competitor must be over 60 years of age
• Classic: Vehicles must be over 30 years old

Since it isn’t sanctioned by the FIA or FIM, the organizers have more leeway in which types of vehicles can compete. All competitors will use GPS for navigation rather than roadbooks.

The rally runs at the same time as the Africa Eco Race, which also follows the old Paris–Dakar Rally route but finishes on Lac Rose a week later on February 6. SandRaiders will also run the course in late February, two weeks after the AER.

Featured image credit: Intercontinental Rally