The Dakar Rally will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2025. Tudor has been appointed as the official timekeeper for this race. Tudor will also serve as the official timekeeper for the Dakar Classic, which will be held at the same time.
In 2025, TUDOR will be the official timekeeper of the Dakar Rally and Dakar Classic
The Dakar Rally will be held in 2025, a grueling 14-day race covering thousands of kilometres through some of Saudi Arabia's most inhospitable terrain, and Tudor will play its role as official timekeeper of this historic race.
In addition to the regular Dakar Rally, the company will also serve as the official timekeeper for the Dakar Classic, which is held at the same time, a race featuring classic cars that competed in the Dakar Rally before 2005.
The Dakar Rally: an extremely tough race
The Dakar Rally is the world's toughest race. It's a car race in one of the harshest environments on Earth. The 2025 edition is scheduled to take place from January 3rd to January 17th. The important thing about this race isn't the starting point or the finish line. It's the Rub' al-Khar Desert, the largest desert on Earth, nicknamed the Empty Strip, that lies along the way.
This rally is not run like a typical car race. It is run as a rally raid, tackling the vast and unforgiving desert using only a road book with a route map. It also includes more than 12 hours of continuous driving and special sections called special stages. Not only is the entire route timed, but special rules such as a 48-hour chronograph and marathon stage also apply. This is where Tudor, the official timekeeper, plays a major role.
The origins of the Dakar Rally
The origins of the Dakar Rally can be traced back to the Paris-Dakar Rally, which was the first race held between Paris and Dakar in 1978. The race was inspired by the experiences of Thierry Sabine, who participated in the Abidjan-Nice Rally in 1977, which ran from Nice, France to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, Africa.
During this race, he went off course and became stranded in the Sahara Desert. His challenge in the harsh desert environment gave him the idea to create the world's most challenging race based on that theme. This was the Paris-Dakar Rally. Later, due to changes in the venue and other reasons, the name was changed to the "Dakar Rally," which is still the name today.
TUDOR: A long-standing supporter of motorsports
Tudor has a long history in motorsport, from the Tudor Watch Racing Team in the late 1960s to the more recent IMSA Tudor United SportsCar Championship, and in 2025 Tudor became the official timekeeper of the Dakar Rally.
