History 2000s

2000 Dakar Rally (Dakar–Cairo)

Overview Route Results Cars Challenges

Overview

Event Name: 2000 Dakar Rally (Dakar–Cairo)

Date: January 6–23, 2000

Start Location: Dakar, Senegal

Finish Location: Cairo, Egypt

Total Distance: 7,863 km

Competitive Stages: 5,012 km

Surface: Mixed (Sand, Gravel, Rock, Desert Tracks)

The 2000 Dakar Rally broke new ground with a bold transcontinental route from West Africa’s Atlantic coast to the Nile Delta. Traversing deep Saharan expanses, hostile plateaus, and the iconic dunes of Libya and Egypt, this edition tested endurance like few before it. Jean-Louis Schlesser, paired with Henri Magne, drove with calculated aggression and impeccable navigation to secure his second consecutive Dakar victory in his custom-built Schlesser-Renault Buggy.

Route

Mauritania: Endless camel grass and soft dunes — navigation was difficult and visibility poor due to wind-blown sand.
Mali and Niger: Harsh rocky pistes and dried riverbeds — required mechanical sympathy and tire control.
Libya–Egypt Border: Long, featureless desert crossings — extreme heat and complex orientation challenges.

Covering ten countries, the 2000 route took crews across an ambitious eastward path. Notable segments included:

The decision to finish in Cairo added logistical complexity but also symbolic weight, linking Africa’s western and eastern extremes in a single rally epic.

🏆 Results

Overall Winner
Jean-Louis Schlesser & Henri Magne · Schlesser-Renault Buggy
2nd Place
Hiroshi Masuoka & Pascal Maimon · Mitsubishi Pajero Evo
3rd Place
Jutta Kleinschmidt & Andreas Schulz · Mitsubishi Pajero Evo

Schlesser’s lightweight buggy outmaneuvered the heavier 4WD competition on soft sand and open plains. Mitsubishi's factory team held strong through durability and consistency but couldn’t match the buggy’s agility on flatter terrain.

Navigation & Challenges

  • Long-Distance Precision: The vast, featureless stretches of Libya and Egypt demanded flawless navigation and endurance under fatigue.
  • Mechanical Strategy: Sand ingress, overheating, and long liaison sections required precise mechanical setups and daily discipline in bivouac repairs.
  • Route Complexity: The eastbound direction was logistically and geographically unique — many crews struggled adapting to new terrain dynamics and support patterns.

The 2000 Dakar was one of the most ambitious editions in the event’s history, with Schlesser’s victory cementing his legend and proving that creativity in engineering could still triumph over factory muscle in the world’s harshest rally raid.

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