Rally Raid
The Dakar 2022: just like always, an adventure like no other
Over 12 days in the desert sands, the world's most legendary off-road race always produces incredible moments. Find out what happened at Dakar.
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When a Dakar begins, there are a few things you know will happen. There'll be a start. There'll be a finish. Some will make it there, and some won't. Many of them won't, in fact. The Dakar has a habit of ending a competitor's race in ways they don't expect, and it changes lives in ways they could never imagine. With one more Dakar in the books – this being the 44th edition of the race – it's easy to say this rally is 'just one more in the books'.
Nothing could be further from the truth. While this year’s race did have some classic battles, there’s so much more that happened – let’s take a look.
Red Bull off-road Junior Team at the finish line
© Flavien Duhamel
01
Seth Quintero sets a new Dakar Record: 11 stage wins
If there's something no one could have predicted, it would have been this: a 19-year-old driver coming oh-so-close to the fabled 'sweep' of stage wins. After a banner opening stage, Seth Quintero's Dakar victory dreams were dashed when he had a mechanical on Stage 2 and had to get towed to the finish. He was still in the race but effectively out of the running for the overall win. However, that gave him a new goal: stage wins. He and co-driver Dennis Zenz then proceeded to storm through every special, winning (and opening the next day's stage!) straight through to the end of the rally.
Quintero picked up 11 stage wins in total, beating the previous record, which had been in place for over 30 years. What's even more impressive is that he did at such a young age, with such a young car – a true testament to his skill as a driver, the co-driver and the team for helping him get there. Alongside him, team-mate Cristina Gutiérrez put up a strong battle – occasionally threatening his stage wins, but more importantly, claiming third place on the podium. "It's been quite the ride," Quintero said, on both the stage wins and the road to get there.
It's been quite the ride
The Audi catches air
© Flavien Duhamel
02
Audi brings electric to the Dakar – in style
Audi Motorsport weren't the first team to bring electric engines to the Dakar, but they were the first to do it with this much style – and sincerity. While breakdowns from minor hard ground collisions held them back from being competitive in the overall, each one of their three drivers won a stage – including T1 class rookies Matthias Ekström and co-driver Emil Bergkvist. While they weren’t fighting with Nasser Al-Attiyah in the general, they were fighting with him in the stages. The biggest success for them? It’s clear – the electric car works. There weren’t any fuel or power issues that slowed them down. So look for them to come out fighting next year!
03
The Dakar Classics ruled the bivouac
Last year brought the first edition of the Dakar Classic, with 24 entries. This year? 140-plus. The eye-catching classic cars were all over the bivouac, grabbing your attention every time you turned around. From a Jacky Ickx Porsche to a modded-out Fiat Panda (or three), the classics put on a show, as cars older than some current Dakar winners paraded around Saudi Arabia.
Sam Sunderland at the finish line
© Flavien Duhamel
04
Sam Sunderland brings back the hardware
Sam Sunderland and GasGas get a win! Upon arriving at the finish line, the Brit couldn't believe it – in fact, he wasn't even sure he'd won. It was only when Dakar chief David Castera came to congratulate him that it sunk in. After two years without a victory in Saudi, the KTM Group's three brands – KTM, GasGas, and Husqvarna were hungry for a win. No one could have been happier to provide that for them than Sunderland, who recently moved over to the GasGas team just before this rally. "This victory feels even better than the first," Sunderland said.
Interesting tidbit – this makes him the first to win on two different bike brands since Dakar legend Richard Sainct did the same in 2003. It’s also sweet redemption for Sunderland, who’s been in the hunt for the win late into the last two races. Returning the title to his team-mates will surely make him the man of the hour and give him a great head start into the FIA 2022 World Cross Country Championship.
This victory feels even better than the first
Dmitry Sotnikov at the finish line
© Flavien Duhamel
05
Kamaz defines dominance once more and locks out the podium – plus one
The rule of the Blue Armada has been so complete over this year’s Dakar, it’s the internal team battle that became the most interesting – Dakar winner Edouard Nikolaev versus Dakar winner Dmitry Sotnikov. For the second time in a row, Sotnikov came out on top, and the next three places belonged to Kamaz, too.
06
Nasser claims glory in the Middle East
Hailing from the Arabian Peninsula, the Prince of the Dunes was anxious to finally claim a Dakar win in Saudi. He adds his fourth trophy to the cabinet, putting him in a rare category. He put on a master class in both strategy and speed, which left him untouchable. While Sebastian Loeb was occasionally nipping at his heels, it was always Al-Attiyah's race.
It was very important for me to win because now the rally is in our region. We finished second at the first two Dakars here, and now we’ve got the win
07
What will happen next year? Another amazing Dakar
As the event comes to a close, and everyone (very happily) starts heading home, one might ask themselves – what'll happen next year? And the answer is always the same: it’s going to be just as exciting – and totally different. See you in the dust!
Be sure to download the free Red Bull TV app and catch the Dakar action on all your devices! Get the app here.
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