Dakar 2022: Route, favorites, news … All you need to know about the 44th edition – franceinfo

The Dakar is back on the roads of the Middle East for its 2022 edition. On Saturday January 1, the more than 500 vehicles entered will set off from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for fourteen days of racing. From the route to the favorites, including the novelties, here is everything you need to know about this 44th edition.

The route: a loop from Jeddah to Jeddah in the middle of the desert

For the competitors of this 44th edition, desert, dunes, canyons and marathon stage will be on the program of a very generous menu. The pilots will depart from Jeddah, as in 2021, to rally Ha’il in the first part of the first stage, before looping in the mountains around Ha’il the next day for the second part. They will then join the first dune stages, to the east, towards Kuwait and Qatar.

Here it is …

The official route of Dakar 2022!
Ha’il – Jeddah
8,375km (4,258km of SS)

➡️ # Dakar2022 pic.twitter.com/pjl3MTmV5x

– DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) November 28, 2021

The course will then head south, and Riyadh, where the drivers will stay three days for several loops around the capital. The rally will finally revolve around Wadi Ad-Dawasir and Bisha, before joining the coast and Jeddah for the finish. In total, the competitors will cover 8,375 kilometers, including 4,258 kilometers of special.

New features: a new hybrid category, and the launch of the rally-raid championship

The big novelty of this 2022 edition is the new category created in auto, T1-Ultimate, with vehicles equipped with a hybrid or 100% electric engine. A category that has attracted new manufacturers, such as Audi, to try the Dakar adventure, with a shock duo Peterhansel-Sainz in two separate cars.

T-1 week: @Dakar Rally 2022.

>> https://t.co/i5Tnh0Pbjz#FutureIsAnAttitude #RoadToDakar # Dakar2022 #RSQetron pic.twitter.com/id5uSZBzpA

– Audi Sport (@audisport) December 25, 2021

The other big novelty is the inclusion of the Dakar as the first round of the brand new rally-raid championship, formalized by Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) in June 2021.

The favorites: Stéphane Peterhansel to conquer a 15th success, the games are open on motorbikes

Several favorites will be able to aim for the final victory. In cars, Stéphane Peterhansel (Audi) appears as an obvious candidate for his own succession. The French won in 2021, already in Saudi Arabia, winning at the same time his 14th title.

But other competitors could also join in the battle. Carlos Sainz (Audi), triple winner in 2010, 2018 and 2020, will also have his say, driving a whole new generation of cars. Former winners Nasser Al-Attiya (Toyota) and Nani Roma (Bahrain Raid Xtreme) will also have their shot to play.

In motorcycles, the last five winners will be present on the starting line. Kevin Benavides (Red Bull KTM), Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda), Toby Price (Red Bull KTM), Matthias Walkner (Red Bull KTM) and Sam Sunderland (Gas Gas Factory) will all be able to claim the final victory. Among the French, Xavier de Soultrait (Husqvarna) will be one to watch, after frustrating 2021 and 2020 editions, marked by two withdrawals.

The figure: 1,065 hired at the start

They will be 1,065 participants to take the start in Jeddah, out of 578 vehicles. A strong increase compared to the 2021 edition, where 440 competitors set off in Saudi Arabia. Like last year, France is the most represented nationality, with 196 entered. Spain follow with 81 representatives and the Netherlands with 67 starters.