2023 Dakar Rally kick starts in Saudia Arabia - in pictures

Rally drivers, bikers and truckers tackle the first of the 14-stage event, running until January 15

A bike competitor during the fourth stage of the 2023 Dakar rally around Ha'il in Saudi Arabia. AFP

Michael Jacobi of France stage four of the Dakar Rally 2023 in Saudi Arabia. EPA

Spanish driver Fernando Alvarez Castellano on stage four. EPA

Dutch driver Jeffrey Otten on the fourth stage of the Dakar Rally 2023. EPA

Czech driver Martin Prokop and co-driver Viktor Chytka in their Ford Raptor RS during the rally. EPA

HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing's Toni Mulec passes spectators on stage four. Reuters

Argentinian Luciano Benavides on stage four. AFP

French driver Lionel Baud and co-driver Remi Boulanger ride ahead of Spanish driver Carlos Checa and co-driver Marc Sola Terradellas during the fourth stage of the 2023 Dakar rally around Ha'il in Saudi Arabia on January 4, 2023. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

Team Audi Sport's Carlos Sainz and co-driver Lucas Cruz. Reuters

Energylandia Rally Team's Eryk Goczal and co-driver Oriol Mena in action. Reuters

Team Audi Sport's Mattias Ekstrom and co-driver Emil Bergkvist. Reuters

Aerial view of the prologue, in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. Reuters

Motorsport's Mario Patrao in action. Reuters

A bivouac by the Red Sea coast near Saudi Arabia's Yanbu, during the prologue of Dakar 2023. AFP

Czech truck driver Tomas Vratny, co-driver Bartlomiej Boba, and mechanic Jaromir Martinec compete during the prologue. AFP

Toyota's driver Nasser Al Attiyah of Qatar, right, and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel of France. Swedish driver Mattias Ekstrom and his co-driver Emil Bergkvist of Sweden won the prologue. AFP

Ekstrom, with his co-driver Bergkvist, steers his Audi Hybrid. They won the prologue ahead of French driver Sebastien Loeb and Belgian co-driver Fabian Lurquin. AFP

Team Dumontier Racing's Jerome Martiny in action during stage 1. Reuters

KTM's Austrian biker Matthias Walkner competes during Stage 1. AFP

Toyota Gazoo Racing's Henk Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings change a tyre during Stage 1. Reuters

Bahrain Raid Xtreme's Sebastien Loeb and co-driver Fabian Lurquin in action during Stage 1. Reuters

Teltonika Racing's Vaidotas Zala and co-driver Paulo Fiuza in action during Stage 1. Reuters

Dutch driver Pascal de Baar of Riwald Dakar Team in action during the prologue. EPA

Saudi driver Masheal Al Obaidan during the prologue. Reuters

Competitors in the Dakar Classic Rally 2023 pose for a group photo on the beach at Sea Camp during the prologue. EPA

More from The National:

More than three million amphetamine tablets seized in Saudi Arabia

Dubai woman climbs all Seven Summits and skis to South Pole

Iraq's football Gulf Cup hit by black market tickets criticism just days before kick-off