From January 1 to 14, 2022, 1,065 participants will compete in the sand of the Arabian Peninsula, aboard 578 vehicles, over the 8,375 km planned for the program of this 44th Dakar. Among the 2022 novelties, three are particularly notable: the inclusion in the World Rally Raid Championship, the participation of hybrid prototypes and nearly 130
additional
“
Classic
”
competitors
for the second year of the reintroduction of these cars from the 80s and 90s. . This year the event therefore becomes the first round of the FIA and FIM World Rally Raid Championship, which has five in total, with Abu Dhabi, Kazakhstan, Andalusia and Morocco.
The complete course revealed a similar layout to the previous one, a tour of the country whose prologue will start from Jeddah, a port city in the center-west which will also welcome the finish after twelve stages, plus a qualifying one. But the airport and the podium will be the only opportunities for competitors to see the Red Sea: this year exit the 2021 coastal road, replaced by two loops around Riyadh. The pilots will head straight into the arid towards Ha'il during a first qualifying stage. They will continue from the second day on a marathon stage (without assistance on the bivouac) already tricky, according to Stéphane Peterhansel, nicknamed “
Monsieur Dakar
” and holder of the record for victories in the event (14 successes, including six on a motorcycle) : "
It happens very early on, we know it's complicated and that we can lose a lot on these stages
”.
Another innovation: three Audi hybrid vehicles will take part in the battle.
These buggies, whose batteries are recharged by a thermal engine during the race, were entrusted to experienced pilots, Peterhansel therefore, the Spaniard Carlos Sainz, triple winner in 2010, 2018 and 2020, and the Swede Mattias Ekstrom, “
Rookie
” on the Dakar, but already titled with Audi in rallycross.
Other great connoisseurs of the dunes such as the South African Giniel de Villiers (2009), the Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah (2011, 2015, 2019) or the Spaniard Nani Roma (2014), wish to put their hands on the trophy. in the car category.
On the motorcycle side, the absence of Marc Coma and the passage of Cyril Despres in the car have given way to a fierce struggle every year since 2015: Toby Price (2016, 2019), Sam Sunderland (2017), Matthias Walkner (2018), Ricky Brabec (2020) and title holder Kevin Benavides will be on the starting line again. The Argentinian, who moved to KTM following his title with Honda last year, is aware of the challenge that awaits him: “
It was not a very easy decision, but I really like the challenges, I thank Honda. and I would like to get another victory with a new team
”.
Sixty women will also wear the helmets this year, including three all-female crews, in a Saudi Arabia that recently entered a broad program of economic and social reforms that includes a relaxation of the prohibitions against them, including that of driving, in force until 2019. Saudi leaders, criticized for the kingdom's human rights abuses, have been using sport as a diplomatic lever for several years to improve the country's image on the international scene.
Besides the Dakar, the country hosts other motorsport events: the Electric Formula, the Extreme E, with electric SUVs, in the middle of the desert, and soon, on December 5, a very first Formula 1 Grand Prix, in Jeddah.
