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dakar News and Analysis
Dakar Rally announces longer 14-stage route for 2023
The ASO has revealed the first details of the 2023 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, increasing the length of the route to 14 stages in response to calls from competitors.
M-Sport set sights on Dakar in new Ford rally raid venture
M-Sport plans to enter the rally raid arena as part of a new collaboration with Neil Woolridge Motorsport that intends to contest the famous Dakar Rally in the future.
How Audi took the Dakar by storm with its hybrid game-changer
Four stage wins and all three cars reaching the finish was no small achievement for Audi on its first attempt at motorsport’s toughest event with a brand-new car. The key men behind the RS Q e-tron project explain why it was such a momentous feat
Tank Slappers Podcast: Petrucci reflects on his Dakar odyssey
After a wild Dakar Rally debut, double MotoGP race winner Danilo Petrucci is the special guest of the first Tank Slappers Podcast of 2021.
Injury, COVID, camels and redemption: A MotoGP star's Dakar odyssey
Danilo Petrucci’s decision to switch to rallying at the conclusion of his time in MotoGP at the end of 2021 raised many eyebrows. Deciding to make his rally raid debut at the Dakar courted scepticism. With his debut almost over on several occasions before it began, Petrucci’s Dakar odyssey was a wild affair full of ups, downs and a run-in with a camel. He sat down with Autosport to reveal all
Petrucci opens up on pre-Dakar KTM "issues" as 2022 plans change
Ex-MotoGP rider Danilo Petrucci says his 2022 plans following his sensational Dakar debut have changed as a result of "some issues" with KTM ahead of the rally raid.
Loeb: Second place in Dakar Rally "nothing to be ashamed of"
Sebastien Loeb says there is "nothing to be ashamed of" in losing the 2022 Dakar Rally, having done everything in his power to topple Toyota's Nasser Al-Attiyah.
Prodrive: Audi will "kill" competition in Dakar if FIA doesn't intervene
Audi will “kill” the competition in the Dakar Rally next year if the FIA doesn’t do something to balance its performance against petrol-powered cars, according to Prodrive’s chairman David Richards.
Mechanic dies on the last liaison of Dakar 2022
A mechanic of the PH Sport team has passed away following a road accident in the last liaison of the Dakar Rally from Bisha to Jeddah.
Dakar 2022: Toyota's Al-Attiyah dominates to seal fourth title
Toyota’s Nasser Al-Attiyah has been crowned a four-time Dakar Rally champion following a dominant run in the 2022 edition of the event in Saudi Arabia.
Dakar 2022, Stage 11: Sainz fastest, Al-Attiyah inches closer to win
Carlos Sainz chalked up yet another stage win for Audi on the penultimate day of the Dakar Rally, while Nasser Al-Attiyah inched closer to overall victory in eighth.
Loeb 'cannot do more' to catch Dakar leader Al-Attiyah
Sebastien Loeb has admitted that he ‘cannot do more’ to beat Toyota’s Nasser Al-Attiyah to a maiden Dakar Rally win as the event enters its final two days.
Dakar 2022, Stage 10: Peterhansel leads Audi 1-2, Loeb beats Al-Attiyah
Stephane Peterhansel scored Audi’s third stage victory of the 2022 Dakar Rally on Wednesday, as Sebastien Loeb gained more time on overall leader Nasser Al-Attiyah by finishing fifth.
The positive future implications of Audi's creditable Dakar debut
OPINION: Audi has been a disruptive presence on the 2022 Dakar Rally, with its new hybrid RS Q e-tron taking three stage wins so far. Its impressive pace and resilience on one of the world’s toughest tests also bodes well for the Dakar’s future as it seeks to attract new manufacturers
Al-Attyiah given belated FIA seat belt penalty, keeps Dakar lead
The Dakar Rally’s FIA stewards have imposed a five-minute penalty on event leader Nasser Al-Attiyah over 24 hours after a seat belt infringement occurred during Monday’s Stage 8.
Dakar 2022, Stage 9: De Villiers leads Toyota 1-2-3, Loeb fifth
Toyota enjoyed its strongest showing of the 2022 Dakar Rally in Stage 9 as Giniel de Villiers led a 1-2-3 ahead of Henk Lategan and overall leader Nasser Al-Attiyah.
Loeb escapes penalty for lost spare wheel in Dakar Stage 8
The FIA has decided not to penalise Sebastien Loeb for losing a spare wheel during Monday's Stage 8 of the Dakar Rally.
Al-Attiyah felt “really lucky” to finish latest Dakar stage after mechanical scare
Nasser Al-Attiyah says he is “really lucky” to finish the Stage 8 and retain the lead of the Dakar Rally after suffering a mechanical scare with a broken rear differential.
Dakar 2022, Stage 8: Ekstrom wins for Audi, Al-Attiyah struggles
Mattias Ekstrom claimed Audi’s second stage victory of the 2022 Dakar Rally on Monday, while a troubled day for Nasser Al-Attiyah allowed Sebastien Loeb to close the gap further in the overall standings.
Dakar 2022, Stage 7: Loeb wins to cut into Al-Attiyah's advantage
Sebastien Loeb claimed his second stage victory of the 2022 Dakar Rally on Sunday to reduce the deficit to Toyota’s Nasser Al-Attiyah in the overall standings.
GCK unveils hydrogen prototype for 2024 Dakar Rally
Green Corp Konnection has showcased its new hydrogen prototype which it hopes to race in the 2024 Dakar Rally.
De Villiers: Death threats after Dakar bike crashes "upsetting"
Giniel de Villiers says it was “upsetting” to receive online abuse and death threats after he was involved in two separate incidents with motorcycle riders on the 2022 Dakar Rally.
Dakar leader Al-Attiyah: 2022 regulations have made my life easier
Toyota driver Nasser Al-Attiyah says the new regulations for the 2022 Dakar Rally have “made my life easier”, believing he now has a fair chance at a fourth career win.
FIA dismisses Sainz complaints about Audi Dakar disadvantage
The president of FIA’s cross-country commission Jutta Kleinschmidt has refuted Carlos Sainz’s suggestion that Audi’s electric car has been “penalised” in the 2022 Dakar Rally.
Organisers have no plans to stop Dakar despite French minister comments
Dakar Rally director David Castera insists the organisation has no intention to cancel the 44th edition of the event despite comments from France's Foreign Minister.
Dakar 2022, Stage 6: Terranova wins, Al-Attiyah extends lead
Orlando Terranova won the sixth stage of the 2022 Dakar Rally for the Prodrive-run Bahrain team, while Nasser Al-Attiyah extended his overall advantage despite finishing only 10th.
French minister considering cancelling Dakar after car explosion
France's Foreign Minister says the country is considering cancelling the 2022 Dakar Rally following a car explosion in the run-up to this year's event.
Petrucci “wanted to kill” camel that almost cost him historic Dakar stage win
Ex-MotoGP rider Danilo Petrucci says he “wanted to kill” the camel that caused a crash in the Dakar Rally that almost cost him his historic stage five win on Thursday.
MotoGP winner Petrucci "crying like a baby" after historic Dakar Rally stage win
Danilo Petrucci says he's "crying like a baby" after becoming the first former MotoGP rider to top a stage of the Dakar Rally having been declared the winner of a shortened stage five.
Dakar 2022, Stage 5: Lategan beats Loeb to win, Al-Attiyah eighth
Toyota driver Henk Lategan beat WRC legend Sebastien Loeb to claim his maiden stage win in the Dakar Rally on Thursday, as overall leader Nasser Al-Attiyah struggled to eighth.
De Villiers gets five-hour Dakar penalty for second motorcyclist incident
Giniel de Villiers has received a five-hour penalty in the Dakar Rally overall standings, leaving him out of the battle for victory after a second incident with a motorcyclist.
Dakar 2022, Stage 4: Al-Attiyah wins after late trouble for Sainz, Al Rajhi
Nasser Al-Attiyah extended his advantage in the 2022 Dakar Rally with victory in Stage 4, as rivals Yazeed Al Rajhi and Carlos Sainz hit trouble late in the stage.
French anti-terror agency to investigate Dakar Rally blast
The French anti-terrorist prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the explosion that seriously injured a driver before the start of the Dakar Rally in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Lost personal belongings dashed Petrucci’s Dakar hopes
Ex-MotoGP rider Danilo Petrucci revealed he was unable to fix the bike issue which effectively knocked him out of the running at the Dakar Rally because he lost his phone.
Dakar 2022, Stage 3: Sainz scores first win for electric Audi
Carlos Sainz claimed Audi’s maiden stage victory in the Dakar Rally on Tuesday, while Nasser Al-Attiyah extended his lead in the overall standings despite finishing only eighth.
Audi won't appeal against Dakar roadbook after Stage 1 controversy
Audi has decided not to appeal against the roadbook for the opening stage of Dakar Rally after Carlos Sainz lost more than two hours searching for the correct route.
Toyota driver hit with Dakar penalty after collision with a bike rider
Toyota Gazoo Racing driver Giniel de Villiers hit with five-minute penalty for a Dakar Rally incident involving a motorcyclist, and is under investigation for a second.
Dakar leader Al-Attiyah fined for rules breach, gets suspended DSQ
Dakar Rally leader Nasser Al-Attiyah has been hit with a €5,000 fine and a suspended disqualification for failing to connect the data logger to his Toyota during yesterday's second stage.
Dakar 2022, Stage 2: Loeb wins as Al-Attiyah holds overall lead
Nine-time World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb claimed victory in the second stage of the Dakar Rally to cut the gap to overnight leader Nasser Al-Attiyah.
How the opening stage of Dakar 2022 unleashed chaos
The 2022 Dakar Rally began in earnest on Sunday with a tricky first stage in Saudi Arabia, but the roadbook again came under fire for a lack of clarity. Competitors and rally organiser ASO explain what happened.
Dakar 2022, Stage 1: Al-Attiyah eases to win, disaster for Audi
Toyota driver Nasser Al-Attiyah cruised to victory in the opening stage of the 2022 Dakar Rally, as Audi endured a disastrous day with its electric RS Q e-tron challenger.
Dakar drops 'marathon' stage rule after heavy rain
The second and third stages of the 2022 Dakar Rally will no longer run to 'marathon' rules after heavy rain in Saudi Arabia.
Audi's Peterhansel drops out of Dakar contention after Stage 1 crash
Reigning Dakar Rally winner Stephane Peterhansel has effectively dropped out of contention for victory in 2022 after suffering heavy damage to his Audi on Sunday's opening stage.
Analysis: The technical challenge at the heart of Dakar 2022
The FIA and the ASO are facing one of the greatest challenges in the history of the Dakar Rally as they aim to balance cars built to T1+ and T1U regulations.
Dakar organiser issues warning alert after Jeddah car explosion
The organiser of the Dakar Rally has issued a warning statement on the opening day of the marathon following a road car explosion in Jeddah that injured a competitor.
Dakar 2022: Al-Attiyah tops Prologue as Audi makes strong start
Toyota’s Nasser Al-Attiyah topped Saturday’s Prologue for the 2022 Dakar Rally, as Audi’s electric RS Q e-tron challenger made a strong start to its competitive debut with Carlos Sainz Sr.
Rebellion boss takes over Dumas' car after Dakar shakedown fire
Rebellion President Alexandre Pesci will contest the 2022 Dakar Rally in his teammate Romain Dumas’ DXX prototype after his own car caught fire during shakedown on Wednesday.
Toyota's Al-Attiyah sees himself as Dakar Rally 2022 favourite
Toyota’s star driver Nasser Al-Attiyah says 2022 is the “right time” to add a fourth Dakar Rally victory to his CV after coming close to the top prize in the previous two Saudi Arabia events.
Sainz feels electric Audi Dakar entry has been "penalised"
Carlos Sainz is “not very optimistic” about Audi’s prospects for the 2022 Dakar Rally, saying the marque’s electric car hasn’t been given parity to its conventional petrol-powered rivals.
Petrucci cleared to race in Dakar after false positive COVID test
MotoGP race winner Danilo Petrucci has received medical approval to contest the 2022 Dakar Rally after an initial COVID-19 PCR test returned a positive result.
Dakar drivers having to adapt driving style for new 2022 cars
One-time Dakar Rally winner Nani Roma says competitors are having to “rebalance” their driving styles to adapt to faster but less agile T1+ cars for 2022.
Rebellion retires from 2022 Dakar Rally on shakedown after fire engulfs car
Rebellion has been forced to retire its #251 entry from the Dakar Rally after the DXX RD Limited prototype suddenly caught fire during the shakedown.
MotoGP winner Petrucci says Dakar switch is “another world”
Double MotoGP race winner Danilo Petrucci says his switch from road racing to rallying ahead of his Dakar debut in 2022 has been “completely another world”.
Prodrive to field three 2022 Dakar Rally entries
Prodrive has confirmed it will field three entries into next year’s Dakar Rally with Orlando Terranova joining its Bahrain Raid Xtreme programme.
Dakar reveals details of 2022 Saudi Arabia route
The ASO has revealed the complete route for the 44th Dakar Rally that will take place in Saudi Arabia from 1-14 January.
Extreme E leader Molly Taylor to make Dakar Rally debut in 2022
Extreme E points leader Molly Taylor will make her Dakar Rally debut next January.
KTM confirms 2022 Dakar Rally debut for Petrucci
Two-time MotoGP race winner Danilo Petrucci will make his Dakar Rally debut in 2022 with KTM after losing his seat in the premier class of grand prix racing.
Prodrive to use biofuel in Dakar 2022
The Bahrain Raid Xtreme team, managed by Prodrive, will use a fuel with sustainable components in its new BRX T1+ in the 2022 Dakar Rally.
Sainz: Winning Dakar "has to be the goal" in first year with Audi
Carlos Sainz says he has to target victory in the 2022 Dakar Rally after joining forces with Audi, but is aware of the "gigantic challenge" the German manufacturer faces with a complex electric powertrain.
Audi's Dakar prototype completes two-week Morocco test
The new Audi RS Q e-tron has completed two weeks of testing in Morocco ahead of its debut in the Dakar Rally next year.