Inside Wialon's Partner Challenge: How telematics went off road at Dakar Rally

In a global tech world of digital connections, real interactions are more valuable than ever, and this is changing how B2B technology companies build community. At Wialon, which provides fleet digitalisation solutions through more than 2,700 channel partners in over 160 countries, we believe very strongly in the power of authentic connections, which inspire, not just incentivise, partners. 

That's why earlier this year we invited 12 of our top partners to one of the most unforgiving environments on Earth: the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. There, they took part in the Wialon Challenge Dakar, a five-day off-road mission across the Arabian desert, inspired by the iconic Dakar Rally itself. 

Our partner challenge was designed as a parallel narrative to the official Dakar Rally - not a competition against professional racers, but a symbolic continuation of the same spirit of endurance, precision, and teamwork in a different operational context. It was inspired by Wialon's involvement in the rally itself, as our platform tracked the support vehicle of the Gurtam Toyota Gazoo Racing Baltics Team, led by Dakar Ultimate class driver Benediktas Vanagas. Gurtam, the company that develops Wialon, is a naming partner of the team.

More than a demonstration of our fleet digitalisation technology, the initiative became a real-world showcase of something even more important: the strength of the Wialon partner community, visible in shared troubleshooting, cross-team support, and real-time collaboration in demanding conditions.

Real-world deployment at 40°C

While official Dakar racers were competing for podiums and glory, this select crew of 12 Wialon partners from Lebanon, South Africa, Australia, Tanzania, Ireland, Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Chile, and Mexico, alongside myself and a few other Wialon executives, navigated their own off-road vehicles across 1,900 km of vast Arabian desert.

The mission was intense: the teams tackled a series of structured, high-intensity tasks. The Wialon software supported real-time location tracking, mileage monitoring, speed compliance, and competition scoring. 

Rapid deployment & scalability

Each team had to equip vehicles using three types of trackers: OBD2 devices, wired GPS trackers, and portable satellite trackers, as well as configure WiaTag - software that turns any mobile phone into a GPS tracker. All units had to be connected to Wialon accounts, objects created, tracking configured, and data flow verified.

Operating in remote desert areas without fixed infrastructure, teams also worked with fluctuating mobile and satellite connectivity, mirroring real environments where stable data transmission is critical.

The scenario simulated rental fleet conditions where installations must be completed quickly and flexibly. Intentional complications were introduced and could only be solved by working with Wialon technical support live.

Every team went fully online in under 45 minutes!

High adrenalin: Simulated stolen vehicle recovery

Teams conducted a live tracking exercise simulating a high-speed vehicle recovery scenario. Participants monitored movement in Wialon in real time, mirroring a service many partners regularly provide to fleet clients.

Route navigation & geofences

Vehicles navigated predefined desert routes with geozones configured in Wialon. The winner was determined by the first verified geofence crossing recorded in the system. The task reflected real-world dispatching, route compliance, and event-based fleet management workflows.

In the tracks of Dakar professionals

During the rally, Wialon Challenge participants met with Benediktas Vanagas and other rally racing teams in the official Dakar bivouac, one of the most iconic locations of the Dakar Rally. 

Participants described the bivouac as something between a giant garage and a Burning Man festival - a relentless hub where engines roar, teams work around the clock, and powerful floodlights turn night into day.

Partnership beyond the office

While the Dakar Rally is an extreme challenge for people and vehicles, for our software, it's a chance to demonstrate the reliability we've perfected over two decades. The brutal conditions - unyielding sun, endless dunes, vibrations, and fluctuating networks - make it a unique environment. Wialon once again validated its capability to handle such harsh environments with ease, delivering flawless performance when it mattered most.

For participants, however, the defining element of the experience was collaboration. Access issues were resolved through joint effort, device configurations were double-checked across teams, and knowledge was exchanged freely - mirroring how the partner ecosystem operates in daily business.

A global platform for every fleet

The same platform used by our partners in the Arabian desert connects millions of vehicles worldwide every day. Throughout two decades of sustained growth, Wialon has consistently invested resources, energy and know-how in its global partners ecosystem, and has quietly become a reliable backbone for global partners and for global fleets. 

The scale of the fleet digitalization engine we've built is immense: today we have a global footprint, in over 160 countries through a network of 2,700 partner companies. We help connect over 4 million vehicles, from small local fleets to enterprise operations with over 1,000 HGVs. Our solutions are hard agnostic and we support over 4,100 types of tracking devices.

By providing a unified solution for everything from fuel management and driver behavior to video telematics, Wialon has empowered thousands of independent fleet service providers to compete at a global level. Each of these partners has its own story of resilience, of discovery, and of being a part of the Wialon community. 

Beyond the desert: A community built on shared challenges

The Dakar initiative is part of a broader tradition. In previous years, Wialon partners climbed Kilimanjaro and summited Indonesia's Mount Rinjani - experiences designed to strengthen professional relationships through shared challenges and mutual support. These initiatives reflect Wialon's long-term approach to community building, where growth is driven not only by technology, but by trust and collaboration.

Our Dakar story is just one of the many chapters in the giant book of our shared adventures and victories. What began as a desert challenge ultimately became a shared story of partnership, adaptability, and trust - values that continue to define the Wialon community worldwide.

Want to see the desert action for yourself? Check out the Wialon Challenge Instagram and dedicated website for highlights of the 2026 Challenge.