2023 Dakar Rally

• 6 June – 31 October 2022: Registrations
• 28–30 November 2022: Administrative checks at Circuit Paul Ricard
• 27–28 December 2022: Arrivals at Saudi Arabia
• 31 December 2022: Starting podium and the Prologue Stage
• 1 January 2023: Race start
• 15 January 2023: Race finish

Some changes were announced for this year's event:{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/dakar/videos/david-castera-dakar-future/1409704529531591/

|website=facebook.com

|title=David Castera - Dakar Future

|date=2022-06-05

|access-date=2022-06-07

|language=en

}}

• Digital roadbooks for all participants, including the bikes
• Time bonuses for bikes opening the stage
• "Mirror routes" - in order to separate the routes some stages will be split into "A and B routes", which feature different waypoints, assigned randomly
• No neutralizations for T1 and T2 categories - the stage will not have breaks in the middle
• Stage start procedure - the first truck to leave will be from 45th place. No reclassification for top 40 drivers
• Dakar Classic will follow dedicated route with 13 stages, including 2 marathon. New average speed group for less powerful vehicles
• Introduction of "synthetic and bio fuels", with expectation that elite drivers will compete in low emission prototypes by 2026

On 10 November 2022 ASO announced the list of competitors.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2022/11/144-riders-receive-numbers-for-2023-dakar-rally/|title=144 riders receive numbers for 2023 Dakar Rally|first=Justin|last=Nguyen|date=November 10, 2022|website=The Checkered Flag}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2022/11/dakar-2023-cars-prototypes-ssvs-trucks-total-218/|title=Dakar 2023 Cars, Prototypes, SSVs, Trucks total 218|first=Justin|last=Nguyen|date=November 23, 2022|website=The Checkered Flag}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2022/11/2023-dakar-classic-competitors-total-187-across-91-entries/|title=2023 Dakar Classic competitors total 187 across 91 entries|first=Justin|last=Nguyen|date=November 18, 2022|website=The Checkered Flag}}

In the truck category, the Kamaz and MAZ factory teams - two of the most dominant teams in the category - elected not to enter the 2023 Dakar Rally due to complaints that the FIA would force them to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine to enter. The two teams are based in Russia and Belarus, respectively.{{cite web|url=https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2022/09/kamaz-master-formally-kills-dakar-2023-plans/|title=KAMAZ-master formally kills Dakar 2023 plans|date=September 28, 2022|access-date=December 31, 2022|first=Justin|last=Nguyen|website=The Checkered Flag}}

===Number of entries===

{{cite web|url=https://webapp.sportity.com/channel/DK23FIM |title=DK23FIM {{!}} Sportity |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116100106/https://webapp.sportity.com/channel/DK23FIM |archive-date=2023-01-16 |access-date=2023-01-16}}{{cite web|url=https://webapp.sportity.com/channel/DK23FIA |title=DK23FIA {{!}} Sportity |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116100106/https://webapp.sportity.com/channel/DK23FIA |archive-date=2023-01-16 |access-date=2023-01-16}}{{cite web|url=https://webapp.sportity.com/channel/DAKAR23CLASSIC |title=DAKAR23CLASSIC {{!}} Sportity |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116103258/https://webapp.sportity.com/channel/DAKAR23CLASSIC |archive-date=2023-01-16 |access-date=2023-01-16}}

{{notelist}}

{{main|Dakar Rally#Vehicles and classes}}

{{Collapse top|Vehicles and Categories}}

{{notelist}}

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{{Collapse top|Entry list — Bikes|bg=lightblue}}

Note
{{color box|gold}} – The "Dakar Legends" - competitors that participated in 10 or more Dakar events.
{{color box|skyblue}} – The first time starters - "rookies".
{{color box|lightgray}} – Competitors that were not able to start the race.
{{color box|orangered}} – Competitors participating in "Original by Motul" — limited assistance marathon class.

{{notelist}}

Withdrawals before the start:

• 23 Konrad Dąbrowski - Appendicitis
• 78 Ali Oukerbouch
• 92 Ignacio Sanchis - Crashed in Shakedown, broke his clavicula

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{{Collapse top|Entry list — Quads|bg=lightblue}}

Note
{{color box|gold}} – The "Dakar Legends" - competitors that participated in 10 or more Dakar events.
{{color box|skyblue}} – The first time starters - "rookies".
{{color box|lightgray}} – Competitors that were not able to start the race.
{{color box|orangered}} – Competitors participating in "Original by Motul" — limited assistance marathon class.

{{notelist}}

Withdrawals before the start:

• 168 Julio Estanguet

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{{Collapse top|Entry list — Cars|bg=lightblue}}

Note
{{color box|gold}} – The "Dakar Legends" - competitors that participated in 10 or more Dakar events.
{{color box|skyblue}} – The first time starters - "rookies".
{{color box|lightgray}} – Competitors that were not able to start the race.

{{notelist}}

Withdrawals before the start:

• 226 Antanas Juknevičius / Didzis Zariņš
• 249 Mohamad Altwijri / Yasser Alhajjaj
• 257 Koen Wauters / Pascal Feryn - issue at scrutiny{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2022/12/feryn-dakar-sport-barred-from-2023-dakar-rally-by-fia-due-to-rollcage-violations/|title=Feryn Dakar Sport barred from 2023 Dakar Rally by FIA due to rollcage violations|first=Justin|last=Nguyen|date=December 2, 2022|website=The Checkered Flag}}
• 260 Abdulaziz Alyaeesh
• 268 Tom De Leeuw / Cedric Feryn - issue at scrutiny
• 271 Gurbanberdi Danatarow / Didar Orazmedow
• 272 Hydyrberdi Abduhrahmanov / Muhammetmyrat Gurbanov

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{{Collapse top|Entry list — Light Prototypes|bg=lightblue}}

Note
{{color box|gold}} – The "Dakar Legends" - competitors that participated in 10 or more Dakar events.
{{color box|skyblue}} – The first time starters - "rookies".
{{color box|lightgray}} – Competitors that were not able to start the race.

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{{Collapse top|Entry list — SSV|bg=lightblue}}

Note
{{color box|gold}} – The "Dakar Legends" - competitors that participated in 10 or more Dakar events.
{{color box|skyblue}} – The first time starters - "rookies".
{{color box|linen}} – Late entries.
{{color box|lightgray}} – Competitors that were not able to start the race.

{{notelist}}

Withdrawals before the start:

• 404 moved to T3 - 335
• 426 Emilija Gelažninkienė / Arūnas Gelažninkas
• 445 moved to T3 - 348

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{{Collapse top|Entry list — Trucks|bg=lightblue}}

Note
{{color box|gold}} – The "Dakar Legends" - competitors that participated in 10 or more Dakar events.
{{color box|skyblue}} – The first time starters - "rookies".
{{color box|linen}} – Late entries.
{{color box|lightgray}} – Competitors that were not able to start the race.

{{notelist}}

Withdrawals before the start:

• 556 Yann Pellegrin / Arnaud Ayala

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{{Collapse top|Entry list — Classics|bg=lightblue}}

Note
{{color box|gold}} – The "Dakar Legends" - competitors that participated in 10 or more Dakar events.
{{color box|skyblue}} – The first time starters - "rookies".
{{color box|lightgray}} – Competitors that were not able to start the race.

{{Collapse bottom}}

{{notelist}}

• {{ref|ref1|1}} Stage 3 was neutralized after 377 kilometers for all 4-wheel vehicles due to severe weather.{{cite web|url=https://dirtfish.com/off-road/dakar/al-attiyah-moves-into-dakar-lead-on-shortened-third-day/|title=Al-Attiyah moves into Dakar lead on shortened third day|date=January 3, 2023|access-date=January 3, 2023|website=Dirtfish|first=Stephen|last=Brunsdon}}
• {{ref|ref2|2}} Due to flooding from the rain on January 3, a bivouac could not be established on time at Ad Dawadimi, prompting organizers to make route changes for stages 6–8. Stage 6 from Ha'il to Ad Dawadimi was reduced by roughly 100 kilometers, following which competitors would travel to a bivouac in Riyadh. The route from Ad Dawadimi to Riyadh originally scheduled to be stage 8 was moved up one day to become stage 7, while the original stage 7 route was moved to become stage 8. With the stage changes, stage 7 effectively became a "marathon" stage, where competitors are prohibited from receiving assistance from their teams during the overnight bivouac. Additionally, stage 7 was cancelled for the bikes and quads classes due to concerns for rider safety.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dakar.com/en/news/2023/modification-of-stages-6-and-7-1/181128|title=Modification of stages 6 and 7|date=January 5, 2023|access-date=January 5, 2023|website=dakar.com|publisher=ASO}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2023/01/2023-dakar-rally-stages-7-and-8-tweaked-bikes-cancelled-for-former/|title=2023 Dakar Rally: Stages 7 and 8 tweaked, Bikes cancelled for former|date=January 6, 2023|access-date=January 6, 2023|first=Justin|last=Nguyen|website=The Checkered Flag}}