Not just New Year’s Eve. The first day of 2022 also marks the beginning of the Dakar number 44, the most challenging and exciting raid in the world, which for the third time will take place on the dunes of Saudi Arabia.
Twelve stages and a single day of rest
There are twelve stages that the crews and teams will have to face. The first stage starts on January 1st from Jeddah and the crews will have to face over 800 km with only 19 kilometers of special stages, a fundamental route useful for determining the starting orders for the first stage itself. Yes, only nineteen kilometers, a small taste of the 300/400 km timed that the crews will have to face daily in the following days.
The route then moves clockwise, visiting cities such as Al Artawiyah and Al Qaisumah before reaching the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. Here the bivouac will remain on site for several days, until the rest day of January 8th. From Riyadh, the ride will continue to Al Dawadimi, Wadi Ad Dawasir and Bisha, before finishing in Jeddah on January 14.
Audi: the electric prototype for the Dakar
An important novelty of this edition is the presence of Audi with three Rs Q e-Tron, the 680 hp electric prototype equipped with three powertrains derived from the Formula E single-seater, the FE07: two MGUs (Motor Generator Units) placed one on each. axle that deal with traction and a third unit that acts as a generator to help recharge the battery. The latter is an accumulator that is replenished while driving thanks to the action of a range extender intended only to generate energy destined for the battery. The prototype of the four rings is equipped with a single-speed transmission and has four-wheel drive thanks to the joint work of the two electric motors placed on each axis. The cars will be entrusted to Mattias Ekström together with Emil Bergkvist; Mr Dakar, Stéphane Peterhansel with Edouard Boulanger and rally champion Carlos Sainz sailed by Lucas Cruz.
Toyota: four cars at the start
Toyota Gazoo Racing will participate with a team of four cars in the 2022 edition of the Dakar Rally. The team will again be led by 2019 Dakar Rally winners Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel, with Giniel de Villiers and co-driver Dennis Murphy participating in the fight in first place. 2021 saw Henk Lategan participate in the Dakar Rally as a rookie, but the three-time South African Cross-Country champion and his co-driver, Brett Cummings, will try to improve on the performances recorded in the last edition, during which they had to retire at the fifth stage despite an excellent start to the race. Finally, Shameer Variawa and new co-driver Danie Stassen will complete the lineup.