The 2003 Telefónica - Dakar that will set off from the Bouches du Rhône region on the 1st of January has near to 500 vehicles entered : 342 race vehicles (165 motorcycles, 128 cars and 49 trucks) and 147 assistance vehicles (73 cars and 74 trucks).
Former winners at the start of the 25th edition : 15 drivers and 5 co-drivers entered in the race.
Drivers entered in the car category
Stéphane Peterhansel (Mitsubishi) : motorcycle winner in 1991,1992,1993,1995,1997,1998,
Ari Vatanen (Nissan) : car winner in 1987,1989,1990, 1991,
Jutta Kleinschmidt (Volkswagen) : car winner in 2001,
Jean-Louis Schlesser (Schlesser Ford Raid) : car winner in 1999, 2000,
Kenjiro Shinozuka (Nissan) : car winner in 1997,
Hiroshi Masuoka (Mitsubishi) : car winner in 2002,
Edi Orioli (Nissan) : motorcycle winner in 1988 ; 1990, 1994,1996,
Jean-Pierre Fontenay (Mitsubishi) : winner in 1998.
Drivers entered in the motorcycle category
Fabrizio Meoni (KTM) : motorcycle winner in 2001,2002,
Richard Sainct (KTM) : motorcycle winner in 1999, 2000.
Drivers entered in the truck category
Vladimir Tchaguine (Kamaz) : truck winner in 2000,2002,
Karel Loprais (Tatra) : truck winner in 1988,1994,1995,1998,1999,2001,
Giacomo Vismara (Unimog) : truck winner in 1986,
Johaness de Rooy (DAF) : truck winner in 1987,
Johann Peter Reif (Man) : truck winner in 1997.
Co-drivers
Andreas Schulz (Mitsubishi) : winner in 2001 (driver J. Kleinschmidt),
Gilles Picard (Mitsubishi) : winner in 1998 (driver J.P. Fontenay),
Philippe Monnet (Nissan) : car winner in 1992 (driver H. Auriol) and 1999 (driver J.L. Schlesser),
Pascal Maimon (Nissan) : car winner in 2002 (driver H. Masuoka),
Henri Magne (Mitsubishi) : winner in 1997, 2000 (driver J.L. Schlesser).
Main teams entered in the car category
Team Mitsubishi Motor Sports : 17 vehicles
5 cars in the race : Masuoka - Fontenay - Peterhansel - Biasion - Sousa
2 trucks in the race : Bosonnet - Gimbre
4 assistance cars and 6 assistance trucks
Team Schlesser-Ford : 8 vehicles
2 cars in the race : Schlesser - Servia JM
1 truck in the race : Versino
3 assistance trucks and 2 assistance cars
Team Nissan : 19 vehicles
5 cars in the race : Shinozuka - Vatanen - De Lavergne - Al Mutaiwei - De Villers
3 trucks in the race : Grobler - Petit - Dunand
7 assistance cars and 4 assistance trucks
Team Volkswagen : 12 vehicles
3 cars in the race : Kleinschmidt - Henrard - Depping
1 truck in the race : Darazsi
6 assistance cars and 2 assistance trucks
Team X-Raid : 7 vehicles
2 cars in the race : De Mevius - Alphand
1 truck in the race : Servia S.
1 assistance car and 3 assistance trucks
Team Toyota Araco : 7 vehicles
3 cars in the race : Ratet - Asaga - Katayama
1 truck in the race : Lambert
2 assistance cars and 1 assistance truck
Team Dessoude : 13 vehicles
6 cars in the race : Belmondo Paul - Pescarolo - Errandonea - Wade - Bourgin - Loubet
1 truck in the race : James
3 assistance cars and 3 assistance trucks
Team Ralliart : 13 vehicles
8 vehicles in the race : Kolberg - Monterde - Garmendia - Balda - Komornicki - De Oliveira - Mayer A.
1 truck in the race : Benbekhti
3 assistance cars and 2 assistance trucks
Team Nissan Tecno Sport : 8 vehicles
4 cars in the race : Orioli - Housieaux - Anquetil - Kis
1 truck in the race : Pelanconi
1 assistance car and 2 assistance trucks
Team Telefonica Movistar : 2 vehicles (Groine Développement)
2 cars in the race : Villalba - Gil
Team Groine Développement : 8 vehicles
4 cars in the race : Strugo - Morize - Metge - Gache
1 truck in the race : Brault
1 assistance car and 2 assistance trucks
Team Promotech : 5 vehicles
3 cars in the race : Lora Lamia - Meyer - Vila
2 assistance trucks
Team E-Palacios : 4 vehicles
2 cars in the race : Arcarons - Vila Altimir
1 truck in the race : Franquesa
1 assistance truck
Main teams entered in the truck category
Team Kamaz : 5 vehicles
2 trucks in the race : Tchaguine - Kabirov
1 assistance car and 2 assistance trucks
Team Total Tatra Marathon : 2 trucks
1 truck in the race : Loprais
1 assistance truck
Team Sugawara : 3 vehicles
1 truck in the race : Sugawara
1 assistance car and 1 assistance truck
Team De Rooy : 3 trucks
2 trucks in the race : De Rooy Johannes - De Rooy Gerardus
1 assistance truck
Team Hans Bekx : 1 truck
1 truck in the race : Bekx
Team Overlook : 3 trucks
2 trucks in the race : Vismara - Panseri
1 assistance truck
Main teams entered in the motorcycle category
Team KTM : 20 vehicles
2 trucks in the race : Reif - Saldauer
6 assistance cars and 3 assistance trucks
KTM Factory Team : 1 motorcycle - De Gavardo
Telefonica Repsol : 3 motorcycles : Roma - Esteve - Coma
Gauloises - KTM : 5 motorcycles : Meoni - Cox - Sainct - Sala - Despres
NOTE: 14 quads are entered
Women entered
Jutta Kleinschmidt and Fabrizia Pons (driver and co-driver of the same team - only female team entered)
Tina Thorner (co-driver/cars)
Isabelle Patissier (driver/cars)
Elisabete Jacinto (driver/trucks)
Andrea Mayer (driver/cars)
Syndiely Wade (driver/ cars)
Isabelle Vadeboncoeur (co-driver/cars)
Patsy Quick (driver/motorcycles)
Champions from other sports
Isabelle Patissier (climbing)
Steve Ravussin (sailing)
Luc Alphand (Alpine skiing)
Paul Belmondo (formula 1)
Jean Marie Pfaff (football)
Philippe Monnet (sailing)
Ukyo Katayama (formula 1)
Grégoire de Mevius (WRC)
Miki Biasion (WRC)
Philippe Gache (circuit racing)
-www.dakar.com
