Riders who win the Dakar while sporting race number 1 are few and far between. The last reigning champion to mount a successful title defence in the motorbike category was Marc Coma in 2015, when he made the newest addition to a collection of five Touareg trophies that now takes pride of place in his trophy cabinet. A decade on, much to the dismay of the purists (and Ricky Brabec, to some extent), it is the W2RC champion, Ross Branch, who will be racing as número uno.

This small departure from tradition has the merit of naming as top favourite the rider who has undoubtedly been the man of the year: the most consistent, the most in-form, sometimes the fastest (no overall but five stage wins throughout the season), and always the most cheerful, which certainly helps. His consistency propelled him to second place behind his American rival at the last Dakar.

The Botswanan's quantum leap was even more remarkable in that it marked Hero's best-ever performance, cementing the Indian manufacturer's position among the heavy hitters in the category. The team's rising stock has enabled them to lure the Chilean Nacho Cornejo into their ranks, where he will serve either as a second team leader or as a trusted lieutenant to the "Kalahari Ferrari". This will come in handy when taking on the competition...

With two motorbikes on the podium in the last edition, Monster Energy Honda HRC have a legitimate shot at the throne. Questions linger over the fitness of their leader, Ricky Brabec, who gave his knee a proper battering in a crash at the Rallye du Maroc in October. While a return to top form is not entirely out of the question for the American, Adrien Van Beveren has shown more robust form since his third-place Dakar finish, going on to take second place in the W2RC, right behind Ross Branch.

The time may have come for the man from northern France in his tenth attempt, but in the Honda camp, the much younger Tosha Schareina is also showing the growing maturity that becomes more evident with each passing year. The Spaniard is almost level with VBA neck in the W2RC standings and even finished ahead of him in the Moroccan round, which doubled as a dress rehearsal before the Dakar. The Red Squadron has no shortage of talent, with Skyler Howes and Pablo Quintanilla also among the serious contenders for the crown awarded in Shubaytah.

There has been quite a shake-up in the KTM universe, with all four factory riders now united under the RedBull KTM Factory Racing banner. The main consequence of this reunion is that the Benavides Bros. are back together, although their current form is hard to gauge: Kevin, a two-time Dakar winner (2021 and 2023), took a nasty tumble while building up to the Desafío Ruta 40, while his younger brother, Luciano, crashed during that same event but managed to bounce back in time to bag third place at the Rallye du Maroc.

The Austrian manufacturer's most bankable asset may well be found Down Under with Daniel Sanders, who has put his youthful impetuosity behind him and dominated the Rallye du Maroc with a steady hand. Finally, the team manager, Jordi Viladoms, was unable to resist the temptation to pluck the brightest prospect from the Catalan hotbed without delay: Edgar Canet, spotted by Nani Roma when he was just 10 years old, clinched seventh place in Morocco (second in Rally 2) at the tender age of 19 and is set to become the youngest factory rider in KTM's Dakar history.

The Spanish wunderkind stands out as the clear favourite for top rookie honours and perhaps even the Rally 2 crown. The Indian Harith Noah won the class last January. Defending his title will be one of Sherco's key objectives, though Lorenzo Santolino is eager to feature in the battle for the top 5. When it comes to the fight for victory and a podium spot in Rally 2, the contenders are lining up in droves. Romain Dumontier is switching to a Honda this time round, aiming to recapture the thrill of his 2023 triumph. Meanwhile, the lightning-fast South African Michael Docherty has shown glimpses of consistency, clinching third in Rally 2 in Morocco. Tobias Ebster has stepped out of the Original by Motul ranks to gun for a strong result in the class and Konrad Dąbrowski, just 24 years old and heading into his fourth Dakar, looks well-equipped to keep climbing the ladder.

Original by Motul: back to basics

On two wheels or four, the Dakar is packed with plenty of "races within the race", but Original by Motul has a special flavour. These riders deliberately forgo a service crew, so they take full responsibility for maintaining and repairing their machines once they reach the bivouac —often late into the night. Adding hardship to hardship is the challenge embraced by these die-hard enthusiasts of the Dakar's old-school grit, with 25 competitors set to line up at the start in Bisha.

To uphold this philosophy and ensure a level playing field among competitors in this challenge, the organisers have tightened the rules this year, particularly when it comes to assistance from riders outside the class. The regulations also mark the return of top-performing competitors to the rankings, including but not limited to those who have previously cracked the top 30. For the 2025 edition, the title fight promises a thrilling battle, with Benjamin Melot, Javi Vega and Emanuel Gyenes back in contention. This showdown will also feature the Belgian Jérôme Martiny, whose debut in the class last year saw him clinch second place, right behind Tobias Ebster; the Czech David Pabiška, a mainstay of the "Original" crew; and perhaps even Saudi Arabia's own Mishal Algunheim, returning to the fray after sitting out the last two editions.