For more than 13 years, Sonora Rally has helped build and shape the rally raid community in North America.
What began as a grassroots navigation rally in the Sonoran Desert grew into an internationally recognized event—bringing together first-time rally competitors, privateers, factory teams, Dakar veterans and some of the greatest names in the sport.
Through the years, hundreds of riders and drivers have learned Dakar-style navigation on Sonora roadbooks, raced their first rally, sharpened their skills in the dunes and, for some, taken the next step toward the Dakar Rally.
Sonora Rally became more than an event.
It became a training ground, a proving ground and a genuine pathway to Dakar.
Professionals want more technical, more demanding routes.
Privateers need an event that better fits the realities of work, family, time and budget.
Future rally racers need a clear, approachable and affordable way into the sport.
And rally raid needs all three. Starting in 2027, Sonora Rally evolves.
The new Sonora Rally is a concentrated three-day rally raid based in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora—just south of the U.S. border.
What hasn’t changed is what matters most:
Professional organization – Technical navigation – Serious competition – The Sonoran dunes – The spirit of rally raid.
Sonora Rally’s relationship with Dakar goes far beyond sharing the same style of racing.
For nearly 10 years, Sonora Rally has been North America’s only Road to Dakar event, providing an official pathway for eligible competitors pursuing the dream of racing the Dakar Rally. The program offers a PAID Dakar entry for the qualifying winner of the SSV/UTV “Road to Dakar”, while motorcycle competitors have been able to earn six points toward Dakar eligibility through Sonora. But the pathway is about more than points or prizes.
For years, Sonora has given North American competitors something incredibly difficult to find close to home:
Competitors have come here to learn. They have come here to train. They have come here to prove themselves.
And many have left Sonora headed toward the biggest rally in the world.
In 2023, Sonora Rally reached an extraordinary milestone when it joined the FIA/FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) alongside events including the Dakar Rally, Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Desafío Ruta 40 and Rallye du Maroc.
It marked the first time the World Rally-Raid Championship came to North America, placing the Sonoran Desert on the same international championship calendar as some of the most legendary rally raid terrain in the world.
The world’s leading factory teams and competitors came to Sonora to race—including names such as Sébastien Loeb, Nasser Al-Attiyah and other championship contenders.
For our organization, our competitors and the communities that welcomed us year after year, it represented the culmination of more than a decade of building rally raid in Mexico and North America.
Long before factory teams, sophisticated technology and world championships, rally raid was about puro adventure—traveling to remote places, navigating unknown terrain and experiencing parts of the world few people ever see.
That spirit is still very much alive in Sonora.
Giant dunes. Desert ranches. Small fishing villages. The Sea of Cortez. Remote communities and endless horizons. Sonora still carries the feeling of the wild, unexplored and untapped landscapes that defined the great rally raids of the past.
But we don’t want competitors simply to race through Sonora. We want them to experience it.
That means breaking bread with local chefs and families, drinking locally brewed beer, meeting fishermen, ranchers, cowboys, musicians and artisans, and experiencing the history and traditions of the Comcaac (Seri) people.
This isn’t staged culture. The exchange is real.
Some of the best rally memories happen after the racing stops—around a table, at the bivouac, over a cold beer, sharing stories with people you might never otherwise have met.
The roadbook takes you into the desert. The competition pushes you. The dunes humble you.
But the adventure is what stays with you.
For 13 years, Sonora Rally has connected competitors with a part of Mexico many would never otherwise experience—and with the people who make it extraordinary. Because rally raid has always been about something bigger than racing.
The 2027 Sonora Rally is concentrated in the massive dune fields of the Altar Desert—one of North America’s great dune environments. Majestic, constantly changing and completely unforgiving, the dunes create the ultimate contest: competitor vs. machine vs. sand.
Excitement. Adrenaline. Confidence. Frustration. Exhaustion. Triumph. The dunes deliver all of it.
A dune field is alive—wind continually reshapes the terrain, erasing tracks and creating new faces, bowls, ridges and hazards. Learning to read the sand, navigate it and ultimately conquer it is an experience unlike almost anything else in motorsport.
And there’s a reason Sonora has become such an important training ground for competitors with Dakar ambitions: big dunes, off-piste navigation and constantly changing sand mimic the skills and challenges demanded by the most prestigious rally raid in the world—the Dakar Rally.
There are ample fuel stations in and around San Luis Río Colorado, making it easy for competitors and teams to purchase fuel locally. Competitors are responsible for supplying their own fuel and meeting the required range for their vehicle. Remember: deep sand and big dunes dramatically increase fuel consumption, so always build in a healthy safety margin.
Minimum Fuel Range: Motos & UTVs 150–160 km • Cars & Trucks 250 km
When required: Competitors provide clearly labeled 5-gallon fuel jugs, which Sonora Rally transports to designated remote refueling locations. Neutralized refueling zones are managed by rally staff, while designated assistance zones may allow authorized service crews to refuel their own competitors.
For longer moto stages, the organization may include a mandatory neutralized fuel stop to ensure competitors can safely complete the route.
Crew support during Sonora Rally is strictly limited to the official bivouac and designated assistance areas during the rally. Outside assistance on Special Stages or liaison sections is prohibited.
Bivouac Access: All crew members must purchase a Bivouac Wristband to enter and work within the bivouac. The wristband includes event insurance, meals, camping facilities, bathrooms, showers and designated areas for vehicle and motorcycle service.
No Outside Assistance: Support crews may not provide assistance on Special Stages or liaison sections. Competitors must tackle the rally route on their own or get assistance from another competitor EXCEPTION: Rally organization designated service areas, given out at the nightly driver / rider briefings.
Professional Support Available: Don’t have your own crew? Dont have your own ride? NO PROBLEMO. Sonora Rally works with experienced Arrive & Race and excellent rally support teams offering everything from vehicle and motorcycle rentals to mechanics, transportation, pit support and nutrition. See the Rally Preview for this year’s approved support teams and rental programs.
All Sonora Rally competing vehicles must be equipped with an adjustable rally odometer capable of displaying distances in kilometers with 1/10 or 1/100 km precision.
Precision: Odometer must measure to 0.1 km or 0.01 km.
On-the-Fly Adjustment: Competitors must be able to manually adjust the odometer up or down while racing to correct their distance against the roadbook.
Kilometers Only: All Sonora Rally roadbook distances are measured in kilometers, not miles.
GPS: A standard GPS unit is not acceptable as the primary rally odometer, as competitors need immediate manual distance correction while navigating.
Digital Compass: Vehicles must also have a digital compass displaying True North headings from 0°–359° for CAP/heading navigation.
The safety of our competitors, crews, staff, volunteers and local spectators is at the heart of every Sonora Rally.
Rally raid takes competitors into challenging and remote terrain, so Sonora Rally deploys a multi-layered medical, emergency and recovery network throughout the course.
Red Cross Units: Multiple emergency units are strategically positioned throughout the rally route for rapid response.
Moto Medics: Mobile medical teams are positioned to reach competitors quickly in terrain where traditional emergency vehicles may have limited access.
Medical & Recovery Teams: Dedicated personnel and recovery vehicles are stationed throughout the course to assist with incidents, disabled vehicles and emergencies.
Helicopter Support: A helicopter is on standby for emergency response, evacuation and recovery when required.
Tracking & Communication: Competitors are closely monitored throughout the rally, allowing Race Control to coordinate medical and recovery resources when assistance is needed.
