Dakar Rally 2025: Truck Category Speed Limit Reduced for Safety Concerns
The organizers of the prestigious Dakar Rally have announced a reduction in the top speed for the Truck category in the 2025 edition of the event. The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) has set the new speed limit for trucks at 135 km/h, down from the previous 140 km/h, citing safety reasons.
This decision has not sat well with the defending Truck class champion, Martin Macík Jr., who expressed his displeasure during the 2025 Dakar Rally presentation in Prague. “It bothers me, period,” Macík told TV Nova. “We have to do something about it. Whether it’s the speed or the starting position or so on, it’s not pleasant when you just throw us backwards.”
Currently, the truck category is the third fastest in the Dakar Rally, with the Ultimate and Stock categories reaching speeds up to 170 km/h. The Challenger class is slightly slower at 135 km/h, while the SSV (Side-by-Side Vehicles) class is capped at 125 km/h. The T5.2 subcategory for assistance trucks is limited to 125 km/h.
“The organiser didn’t discuss this with us,” he complained, adding that “the fact that it’s actually at the behest of SSVs, which have a speed limit of 135 km/h,” is what bothers him the most.
Macík believes the ASO’s decision was likely influenced by the faster trucks catching up with the slower Challenger and SSV vehicles. He argued that the speed difference between the trucks and the smaller vehicles is a natural consequence of their size and power. “It’s logical that we are faster than them; their small wheels, we have big wheels. We pass them and then disappear because five kilometres per hour is a big difference.”
To further enhance safety, the ASO has also decided to have the trucks take a different route from cars and bikes for one of the stages in the 2025 Dakar Rally.
Despite the setback, Macík remains determined to defend his title in the upcoming event, which is set to commence on January 3, 2025. The Czech driver will be competing in a new truck as he looks to continue his success in the iconic Dakar Rally.
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