Motor Start of Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000km racing

Rally raid, also known as cross-country rallying, is a form of long distance

off-road racing Off-road racing is a form of motorsports consisting of specially-modified vehicles including cars, SUVs, trucks, motorbikes, quadbikes and buggies racing in off-road environments (e.g. snow, dirt, mud, etc.). North America Desert racing Desert ...

that takes place over several days. The length of the event can be as short as 2–3 days for a cross-country baja to as long as 15 days with marathon rallies like the

Dakar Rally 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, ...

; with other cross-country rally events lasting 4–5 days. With skill in navigation being key, the driving skill and endurance of riders, drivers, co-drivers, and machines are put to the test. The total distance covered can be anywhere between 600 km to over 5,000 km with terrain ranging from sandy dunes, forest roads, mountain roads, and dry river beds; among others. The most well known rally raid is the

; a marathon rally which can last anywhere from 10 to 15 days. Other prominent marathon rallies include the Africa Eco Race and

Silk Way Rally The Silk Way Rally ( rus, Шёлковый путь) is an annual rally raid type of off-road race. The first Silk Way Rally was raced in 2009 from Kazan, Russia to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. From 2010 to 2013, the race has taken place in Russia. ...

. Well known examples of cross-country rallies include the

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is an international rally raid race held in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates since 1991. The race is points scoring for the World Rally-Raid Championship and is organized by the Emirates Motorspo ...

and

Rallye du Maroc The Rallye du Maroc (Morocco Rally) was a marathon rally, similar to the Safari Rally, but that should not be confused with the Rallye du Maroc (rally raid), Rallye du Maroc rally raid introduced in 2000. History It was first run in 1934, and hel ...

. The

Baja Aragón The Spanish Baja is a Rally raid event held in the region of Aragon in northern Spain. This event was launched in 1983, based on the popularity of the African Adventure rallies, such as the Paris Dakar and the Pharaons Rally. The event's creator ...

is an example of a cross-country baja with the Baja Russia Northern Forest taking place entirely in snow. Other examples of rally raid races include the TransAnatolia Rally Raid, Hellas Rally Raid, Borneo Rally Raid, and

Raid De Himalaya Raid De Himalaya is a motorsport started in 1999. It is the world's highest rally raid. The 2009 event ran in six legs from Shimla to Srinagar, between 5 October and 13 October. Himalayan Motorsport Association The Himalayan Motorsport Associati ...

. The first African rally raid run was the Côte-Côte Rally, first held in December 1976. While the sport is most known for the Dakar Rally, a number of international and national series are also run. Internationally the

World Rally-Raid Championship The World Rally-Raid Championship (officially abbreviated as W2RC) is a rally raid series organised by the Amaury Sport Organization and co-sanctioned by the FIA and FIM. The championship's seasons culminate with world championship titles in both ...

, co-sanctioned by the

FIA FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used. Fia or FIA may also refer to: People * Fia Backst ...

and

FIM FIM may refer to: Organizations and companies * Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, the International Motorcycling Federation * Flint Institute of Music, in Michigan, United States * Fox Interactive Media, now News Corp. Digital Media * ...

, is the annual world championship for long-distance rally raid events; including the Dakar Rally. The shorter cross-country baja events are administered separately with the

FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas The FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas is a rally raid series organized by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver, co-driver, and team; with additional trophies awarded to T3 and T4 drivers & teams. Starting with the 2002 season, the pre ...

and FIM Bajas World Cup. National cross-country rally championships are held in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, among others, while a Europe-based regional cup was introduced in 2021. For amateurs the

Budapest-Bamako The Budapest-Bamako or Great African Run is a charity car race in Africa, and the largest amateur rally in the world. It is a low-budget version of the Dakar Rally, and goes from Budapest, Hungary to Bamako, Mali through t ...

has been considered the world's largest amateur rally raid spanning two continents and 9,000 km.

Navigation

Navigation is primarily accomplished using a paper or digital

roadbook A roadbook is a diagrammatic book typically used by rally co-drivers and overland travelers to navigate across uncertain terrain. Usually, the roadbook consists of several pages of tulip-diagrams, GPS co-ordinates and written instructions to ass ...

in conjunction with a digital

odometer An odometer or odograph is an instrument used for measuring the distance traveled by a vehicle, such as a bicycle or car. The device may be electronic, mechanical, or a combination of the two (electromechanical). The noun derives from ancient Gr ...

to measure distance. The use of GPS or GPS-enabled devices, in contrast with

desert racing Desert racing is the act of racing through the desert in a two- or four-wheeled off-road vehicle. Races, which generally consist of two or more loops around a course covering up to , can take the form of Hare and Hound or Hare scramble style even ...

, is not allowed. Competitors have no knowledge of the course until they receive the roadbook and any sort of pre-running is prohibited; which highlights the adventure aspect of rally raid. This is in stark contrast to

rallying Rally is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (often called ''rally racing),'' navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed time or average speed. ...

and

where pre-running or reconnaissance is required or recommended for optimal performance on the course. The roadbook that is used is not as precise as the

pacenotes In rallying, pacenotes are a commonly used method of accurately describing a rallying route to be driven in extreme detail. As well as dictating the general route to be taken, in terms of turnings, junctions, etc., all notable features of the rout ...

used in stage rally, making navigation just as important as the driving. Bike and quad riders also have to navigate on their own while riding their vehicle; making concentration key during a rally raid event.

Vehicles and classes

Rally raid is made of various different categories and classes of vehicles. Regulations from the ASO,

, and

define the rules for each category.

Moto class

The Moto class is divided between three groups: RallyGP, Rally2, and Rally3. RallyGP is the top moto class with riders and manufacturers eligible for the World Championship in

rankings. This class is only open to the most experienced competitors while Rally2 is available to any rider not considered RallyGP. Rally3 is for moto-enduro machines adapted for rally use. All three have a maximum capacity of 450cc. Rally2 and Rally3 are given World Cup status in the FIM-rankings. Popular motorcycles include those made by

KTM KTM AG (Kraftfahrzeug Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, formerly KTM Sportmotorcycle AG) is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and sports car manufacturer owned by Pierer Mobility AG and the Indian manufacturer Bajaj Auto. It was formed in 1992 but traces ...

, Gasgas,

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

and Husqvarna because many of their bikes have finished in top positions.

BMW motorcycles BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle brand of BMW, part of its Corporate and Brand Development division. It has produced motorcycles since 1923, and achieved record sales for the fifth year in succession in 2015. With a total of 136,963 vehicles sold i ...

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

and

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

have also been successful in the Dakar.

Quad class

The class for quads was originally a sub-class for the larger moto-class, but has been given more prominence in recent years. The class also has World Cup status within the

Car class—T1 and T2

The car class is made up of vehicles weighing less than and subdivided into several categories. The T1 Group is made up of Prototype Cross-Country Cars and is subdivided into four primary categories: T1.U, T1.1, T1.2, and T1.3. T1.U (T1 Ultimate) is a recent category built exclusively for vehicles running on renewable energies; such as the

Audi RS Q e-tron The Audi RS Q e-tron is an off-road competition car, built by Audi under the e-tron battery electric sub-brand. It was specially designed to take part in the rally raids. Development It was mentioned as an unnamed prototype during the 2020-12-11 ...

. T1.1 (4x4) and T1.2 (4x2) are open to vehicles running on petrol and diesel fuels; including the

Mini John Cooper Works Buggy The Mini John Cooper Works Buggy is an off-road competition car, built by X-raid under the Mini marque. The car won the 2019 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies and the 2020 and 2021 Dakar Rallys. The German racing team X-raid has been usin ...

Toyota Hilux The , stylized as HiLux and historically as Hi-Lux, is a series of pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The majority of these vehicles are sold as pickup truck or cab chassis variants, although the ...

, and

Peugeot 3008 DKR The Peugeot 3008 DKR is an off-road competition car specially designed to take part in rally raids with the main objective of winning the Dakar Rally. The team is Team Peugeot Total. Engine Specifications Dakar victories See also *Peugeot 300 ...

. Subclass T1.3 is open to vehicles conforming to SCORE regulations. This includes the

Hummer H3 The Hummer H3 is an off-road vehicle that was produced from 2005 to 2010 by General Motors. The smallest model of the Hummer lineup, it was offered as a 5-door SUV or a 4-door pickup truck known as the H3T. Unlike the larger H1 and H2 models, t ...

buggy and various other buggies. The T2 category is open to Series Production Cross-Country Cars; primarily the

Toyota Land Cruiser The (also sometimes spelled as LandCruiser) is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. It is Toyota's longest running series of models. , the sales of the Land Cruiser totalled more than ...

and

Nissan Patrol The is a series of full-size SUVs manufactured by Nissan in Japan and sold throughout the world. The Patrol has been available as either a short-wheelbase (SWB) three-door or a long-wheelbase (LWB) five-door chassis since 1951. The LWB version ...

. Other prominent examples in the Car Class included the Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero, the

Volkswagen Race Touareg The Volkswagen Touareg (German pronunciation: ) is a car produced by German automotive industry, automaker Volkswagen Group since 2002 at the Volkswagen Bratislava Plant. A five-seater Executive car, mid-size luxury crossover SUV, the vehicle was ...

, the Bowler Wildcat 200, the

Mini All4 Racing The Mini All4 Racing is an off-road competition car, built by X-raid between 2011 and 2016, specially designed to take part in the rally raids with the main objective of winning the Dakar Rally. In 2017 Mini All4 Racing was succeeded by Mini John ...

and the

Nissan Navara The Nissan Navara is a nameplate used for Nissan pickup trucks with D21, D22, D40 and D23 model codes. The nameplate has been used in Australia, New Zealand, Central America, South America, Asia, Europe, and South Africa. In North, Central a ...

Lightweight and SSV class-T3 and T4

While originally a sub-class under the car category and later a combined class; the T3 and T4 classes have been recently separated into their own respective categories. T3 vehicles are officially described as Lightweight Prototype Cross-Country Vehicles and can include purpose-built machines such as the

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...

OT3 and

PH-Sport PH Sport is a motorsport services company based in Langres, France, established in 1990. The company has a history of entering national and international rallies and championships such as the World Rally Championship, often in close cooperation ...

Zephyr while also allowing modified variations of vehicles built and sold by

Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...

, Kawasaki,

, and

Can-Am The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an Sports Car Club of America, SCCA/Canadian Auto Sport Clubs, CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987. History Can-Am started out as a race series for group 7 sports racers with two r ...

. The T4 category is for Modified Production Cross-Country Side-by-Side (SSV) vehicles; such as those built by

and

, but built closer to production standards. Both categories must weigh no more than 3500 kg and are eligible for their own respective FIA World Cups.

Truck class—T5

The Truck class, also known as "Camions" or "Lorries" is made up of vehicles weighing more than . While originally designated as Group T4; they have recently been solely given the T5 category with the T4 group now referring to

Side by Side (UTV) A side-by-side vehicle (SxS or SSV), is an off-road vehicle with a minimum of two seats positioned side-by-side and enclosed within a roll cage structure. They have a minimum of four wheels (or continuous tracks) and are operated by foot control ...

vehicles. Made up of both Prototype and Production Cross-Country Trucks; the class has been dominated by trucks built by Russian manufacturer Kamaz. Other competitors include

Iveco IVECO, an acronym for Industrial Vehicles Corporation, is an Italian multinational transport vehicle manufacturing company. It designs and builds light, medium, and heavy commercial vehicles. The name IVECO first appeared in 1975 after a merger o ...

, Hino,

MAZ Maz or MAZ may refer to: * IATA code for Eugenio María de Hostos Airport, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico * Minsk Automobile Plant, abbreviated in Belarusian as MAZ * Myc-associated zinc finger protein, a protein encoded by the ''MAZ'' gene * Maz, a vill ...

, Tatra, LIAZ,

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

Unimog The Unimog (, ) is a range of multi-purpose tractors, trucks and lorries that has been produced by Boehringer from 1948 until 1951, and by Daimler Truck (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler AG) since 1951. In the United States and ...

, Renault Kerax, and various others. A FIA World Cup is awarded to drivers and co-drivers in this class.

Notable events

FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies The FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies was a rally raid series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver, co-driver, and team; with additional trophies awarded to T2 and T3 drivers & teams. Starting with the 2011 season, the p ...

(Defunct) **

FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship The FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship was the premier championship of Rally raid racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), from 1999 to 2021 (from 1999 and 2002 as World Cup). Asides the main championsh ...

(Defunct) *

FIA European Cup for Cross-Country Bajas The FIA European Cup for Cross-Country Bajas is a rally raid series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver, co-driver, and team; with additional trophies awarded to T3 and T4 drivers & teams. The series runs concurrent with the ...

* FIM Bajas World Cup *

* Africa Eco Race *

Rallye OiLibya du Maroc The Rallye du Maroc is a rally-raid which is disputed each year in Morocco from 2000. The event is part of both the World Rally-Raid Championship co-sanctioned by the FIA and FIM, after previously being overseen separately by the FIA World Cup ...

* Merzouga Rally *

Rallye des Pharaons The Rallye des Pharaons (French for "Pharaohs Rally") was a rally-raid event that took place in Egypt between 1982 and 2015. Cairo was both the starting and finishing point at the foot of the pyramids of Giza, and the rally covered roughly around . ...

* 2008 Central Europe Rally *

– Largest amateur rally raid *

* Northern Forest * Sonora Rally * Rally Adventure Georgia *

Rimba Raid __NOTOC__ Rimba may refer to: Places Brunei * Kampong Rimba, village outside Bandar Seri Begawan Indonesia * Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve, a forest reserve in Kalimantan Malaysia * Kenong Rimba Park, a protected rainforest park * Ri ...

Rebelle Rally Rebelle may refer to: *the original French language title of ''War Witch'', a Canadian film released in 2012 *the French language title of ''Brave'' (2012 film), an American animated film *Rebelle (fragrance) Rebelle is the second fragrance for w ...

References

{{Rally raids Rallying Auto racing by type Motorcycle racing by type