Sanjay Takale has scripted history by becoming the first-ever Indian driver to finish the Dakar Rally. The 56-year-old competed in the Dakar Classic class this year, driving a Toyota Land Cruiser HZJ78 alongside co-driver Maxime Raud. He survived the gruelling two-week course to finish 18th overall.

• Sanjay Takale secured a top-five finish in Stage 12
• He finished P18 overall

Dakar 2025: Sanjay Takale finishes P18 in Dakar Classic

Takale has been racing professionally for over three decades and has collected more than 75 wins in India and abroad, including the Asia Pacific Rally Championship’s Production Cup in 2013. He’s now added yet another feather to his cap – becoming the first Indian to compete in and finish the Dakar Rally in a car.

He entered the Dakar Classic class with technical support from the French team Compagnie Saharienne. This class is reserved for vehicles manufactured before 2005, and competitors run on a separate route, better suited to the vehicles.

Unlike other classes, where the goal is to complete each stage with the fastest time, Dakar Classic follows a regularity rally (more commonly known as the Time-Speed-Distance or TSD) format. Here, the goal is to complete each stage in a specified time and at a specified average speed – something that brings its own unique challenges, especially in the tough terrain that the Dakar Rally is known for.

He was 37th overall at the end of Stage 1 and steadily made his way up the order. A top-five finish in the final stage helped him finish P18 overall.