The rally is an off-road endurance event. The terrain that the competitors traverse is much tougher than that used in conventional rallying , and the vehicles used are typically true off-road vehicles and motorcycles , rather than modified on-road vehicles. Most of the competitive special sections are off-road, crossing dunes, mud, camel grass , rocks, and erg among others.
The distances of each stage covered vary from short distances up to β kilometres β mi per day. The rough terrain, driver fatigue, and lack of skill usually results in accidents and serious injuries. The event started at the inception in of a rally staged from Paris , France , to Dakar , Senegal hence its name , across several African countries.
Between and some editions didn't start in Paris or didn't arrive in Dakar, but the event kept its name. Security threats in Mauritania led to the cancellation of the rally , and events from to were held in South America.
The event is open to amateur and professional entries, professionals typically making up about eighty percent of the participants. Predating the Paris-Dakar Rally the subsequent documentary is replete with such terrain, and documents the vehicle's endurance.
Cyril Neveu was the event's first winner, riding a Yamaha motorcycle. The event rapidly grew in popularity, with vehicles taking the start in and in In , there were racers, more than double the number that took the start in Neveu won the event for a third time, this time riding a Honda motorcycle, while victory in the car class went to the Marreau brothers, driving a privately entered Renault Auriol captured his second bikes class victory in , the first year that Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi competed in the rally, beginning an association that would last until At the behest of car class winner Jacky Ickx, Porsche entered the Dakar in , with the total number of entries now at Gaston Rahier meanwhile continued BMW's success in the motorcycle category with back-to-back wins in and , the year of Mitsubishi's first victory of 12 in the car category, Patrick Zaniroli taking the spoils.
