26^th Paris Dakar Rally, 2004

Stage 1 -  31 December  2004 - BARCELONE > BARCELONE
Liaison 27 km	Special 6 km	Liaison 17 km	Total  50 km

Stage 2 -  1 January  2005 - BARCELONE > GRANADA
Liaison 920 km	Total  920 km

Stage 3 -  2 January  2005 - GRANADA > RABAT
Liaison 6 km	Special 10 km	Liaison 557 km	Total  573 km

A 10 km special run on military ground near Granada. The liaison to Algeciras, where they will embark, includes a passage control in Antequera. After the boat crossing, the first part of the route on African soil is very smooth running, with a stretch of motorway from Tangiers to Rabat, where the finish may nevertheless be late.

Stage 4 -  3 January  2005 - RABAT > AGADIR
Liaison 122 km	Special 123 km	Liaison 421 km	Total  666 km

A short liaison will take the competitors to the start of a first African special that is filled with traps from the very beginning; the route is 70 % new. In the first part, marked out through an undulating cork oak forest, Rally specialists may put their driving skills to full use. After this, although the sand and the desert are still far off, the first navigating problems appear. There are many changes in direction, in a landscape sorely lacking in landmarks: competitors, even experienced drivers, will very likely lose time here. And before reaching Agadir, the gateway to the south, 430 km of liaison must still be covered.

Stage 5 -  4 January  2005 - AGADIR > SMARA
Liaison 240 km	Special 381 km	Liaison 33 km	Total  654 km

Before attacking the first long Special, there will be a warm up session on a tarmac road to Guelmin. The start of the special, between the hills, will allow high speeds but the very rocky tracks that follow will force drivers to reduce their pace. The level of difficulty will move up a scale here. The rest of the Special will alternate between slow and fast stretches, on a mainly sinuous track. This second part, never taken before by any of the competitors, will end with a very long “chott”. From this stage onwards competitors’ positions may change and leads may be established.

Stage 6 -  5 January  2005 - SMARA > ZOUERAT
Liaison 121 km	Special 492 km	Liaison 9 km	Total  622 km

After 100 km of track liaison to the Mauritanian border, competitors will start the Special with a very fast section on sandy ground. This will be followed by mainly speedy stretches punctuated by spaced out dune fields, as far as 1 km apart. Assistance vehicle will take the spécial route on 100 km.

Stage 7 -  6 January  2005 - ZOUERAT > TICHIT
Liaison 9 km	Special 660 km	Total  669 km

In the motorcycle category, there will be a line-up start, in lines of 20. Up to the difficult El Ghallâouîya pass, situated between two cliffs, drivers will cross plains and some dune fields. The programme will then consist of the crossing of El Mrayer, the “mirror”, a series of small ergs, followed by one hundred or so kilometres of camel grass, and terminating with the need to find a pass, the only way to arrive at the Tichit oasis! At the finish, only refreshments are authorised; vehicles are placed in the Parc Fermé. “Real” marathon stages are back on the Dakar programme.

Stage 8 -  7 January  2005 - TICHIT > TIDJIKJA
Special 520 km	Liaison 18 km	Total  538 km

Lots of sand...But along with the many dunes to be crossed, there will also be several difficult passes to find, for which competitors who need it can request the GPS de-blocking codes. After climbing the Nega pass, which becomes more and more difficult every year, drivers must follow a rocky and sinuous track to Tidjikja.

Stage 9 -  8 January  2005 - TIDJIKJA > ATAR
Liaison 3 km	Special 361 km	Liaison 35 km	Total  399 km

In this final stage before the rest day driving enthusiasts will here be in their element. The 300 kilometres of track will be very fast running even if the end of the stage is punctuated with difficulties. 20 kilometres from the end, competitors will find themselves at the foot of the immense and mythical Chinguetti erg. Crossing the dunes will have to be done gently, without overdoing it, in order to arrive quickly at the bivouac. As after more than a week into the race, every hour of rest will be appreciated. This stage has been traced so that amateurs can reach the bivouac as early as possible in order to enjoy the rest day.

Stage 10 -  10 January  2005 - ATAR > ATAR
Liaison 8 km	Special 483 km	Liaison 8 km	Total  499 km

This loop Special is the hardest in the rally in terms of dune crossing. At the very beginning of the stage, a 40 km erg will filter the competitors, and then they will have to climb the difficult Thaga pass. A sea of sand and numerous dune fields will enliven the route to the El Beyyed Erg: another 40 km of non-stop dunes, amongst the most difficult ever crossed by the competitors. The “return” route will be easier, marked out through the plains for 200 km over the Sebkhet Chemchâm “chott”.

Stage 11 -  11 January  2005 - ATAR > KIFFA
Liaison 34 km	Special 656 km	Liaison 5 km	Total  695 km

The first half, towards Tidjikja via the Pic de Bou Naga, will include much dune crossing on very soft sand:
be careful with the fuel consumption. The track is then a new one, in the valleys of the Tagant massif, crossing the superb Ksar el Barka oasis before once again taking the very rocky stretch leading to the Nega pass, this time in a downwards direction. The final 150 km stretch is a fast one, but motorcycle participants will have to watch out for ruts made by trucks on this sandy track.

Stage 12 -  12 January  2005 - KIFFA > BAMAKO
Liaison 25 km	Special 586 km	Liaison 208 km	Total  819 km

The arrival in Sahelian Africa is marked by speedy tracks surrounded by vegetation. Difficulties in finding landmarks make navigating a delicate operation in the first third of this stage, up until the Malian border.
Then follows the crossing of numerous villages. Drivers are here obliged to slow down for the security of everyone. After Nioro competitors will encounter narrow laterite tracks, which make overtaking very difficult. They will also splash through their first rivers, and perhaps encounter a few animals. In Bamako, vehicles will once more be placed in the Parc Fermé, and no mechanical interventions will be allowed.

Stage 13 -  13 January  2005 - BAMAKO > KAYES
Liaison 205 km	Special 370 km	Liaison 93 km	Total  668 km

From the start of the Special to the Manantali barrage, the laterite track is on the wide side and allows for fast Rally style driving. For the next 150 km, it’s back to bush landscape, where the track more often than not takes the form of a bush path through the middle of nowhere. Motocross specialists will be the most confident in the crossing of the Tambaoura cliffs. The finish of the Special will be judged in Sadiola, a small Malian town known for its opencast gold mine.

Stage 14 -  14 January  2005 - KAYES > TAMBACOUNDA
Liaison 93 km	Special 529 km	Liaison 8 km	Total  630 km

It is from Sadiola, in Mali, that this stage will start, moving directly south along the Senegalese border.
The laterite track gradually narrows leading to a savannah landscape near Satadougou. Here the rally will cross the Falémé River, which in the memories of old hands remains a historical spot as it heralds the arrival of the rally in Senegal and the finish. The track that leads to Tambacounda alternates between bush landscape, the crossing of villages and quick splashes in little rivers in Soninké country.

Stage 15 -  15 January  2005 - TAMBACOUNDA > DAKAR
Liaison 108 km	Special 225 km	Liaison 236 km	Total  569 km

Competitors will be back on a tarmac road for a liaison of approximately 100 km to the start of the Special.
This is a route for specialists of expert driving for all those who have the energy left. Tropical forest is left for the savannah, the landscape lightens along with the kilometres but landmarks are so difficult to find. After the Special, there is a final 200 km stretch of route through Senegal. No bivouac at night. The Assistance Parc is situated within the perimeter of the hotel Méridien.

Stage 16 -  16 January  2005 - DAKAR > DAKAR
Liaison 37 km	Special 31 km	Total  68 km

Apart from a handful of competitors capable of moving one or two places further up in the “overall” ranking and so interested in gaining a few seconds, the outcome is already decided for everyone else. This year, the finish will renew with tradition. There will be a line-up start for the Special on the beach: in lines of twenty for bikers, in twos for cars and trucks. After the ceremony on the podium and the prize giving, everyone returns in procession to the hotel Méridien. A party for all participants will be organized at the Club Med.