
How Prodrive plans to use trial by Dakar to spur it to victory
Having tasted plenty of success in the World Rally Championship in the past, Prodrive took its off-road excursions to a new level with its first Dakar Rally entry this year. Now well-versed in the challenges that the famous rally-raid event possesses, Prodrive can learn from those lessons for next year's tilt at Dakar honours
Despite its recent relocations, the Dakar Rally remains one of motorsport’s most brutal endurance events; an event that requires a fair portion of luck just to reach the finish. It’s one of the last great motorsport adventures, a 7,646km marathon across the treacherous Saudi Arabian desert.
To conquer the Dakar is a monumental feat and to achieve glory at your first attempt is extremely rare - as Prodrive discovered with its Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX) project in January. Such a trial has ensured work to tame next year’s event has already started in earnest.
Related video

Tom Howard is a News Editor working across both Autosport.com and Motorsport.com websites. Starting out as a sports reporter in local newspapers, Tom focussed on motorsport covering several national championships in the UK, including the BTCC.
After a period working as a freelance journalist, Tom moved to Australia in 2013 landing a job at leading Australian motorsport news outlet speedcafe.com, covering international motorsport events including F1, WRC and Supercars. Progressing to Editor in 2017, Tom was named Motorsport Australia Journalist of the Year for his work. He is also a two-time winner of Supercars Journalist of The Year (2017,2019) and a Supercars Championship Media Award winner in 2019.
Tom moved back to his native UK in 2020, firstly working in BTCC, before joining Autosport and motorsport.com in 2021.
More from Tom Howard
Latest news
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
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
How Prodrive plans to use trial by Dakar to spur it to victory
Having tasted plenty of success in the World Rally Championship in the past, Prodrive took its off-road excursions to a new level with its first Dakar Rally entry this year. Now well-versed in the challenges that the famous rally-raid event possesses, Prodrive can learn from those lessons for next year's tilt at Dakar honours
Why Loeb has joined forces with an old enemy for Dakar
The nine-time World Rally champion is heading to the Dakar Rally with an all-new project, and is joining up with the team he often fought against in the WRC - Prodrive - in his quest to finally add the most famed rally raid of them all to his bulging CV
Richards on Prodrive's new Dakar challenge
With a stunning success record in motorsport, Prodrive is targeting a new crown by entering the 2021 Dakar Rally. David Richards provides an update on the programme, how COVID has slowed its plans and its options on who sits behind the wheel of its new car
Why Alonso is already exceeding expectations in Dakar bid
How significant was Fernando Alonso's first cross-country rallying podium on a Saudi Arabian event last weekend? Very. The next leg of his post-F1 quest for versatile glory is going very well so far...
What Alonso learned from his best Dakar test yet
Double Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso took on one of his biggest challenges yet in the five-day Dakar warm-up event, Rally Morocco. Alonso gives his thoughts on his progress in a "bittersweet" event, and whether he will contest the Dakar
Why Alonso must heed Loeb's Dakar failures
Fernando Alonso is edging closer to a Dakar debut, but he should take heed of the lessons rallying legend Sebastien Loeb has learned through several near-misses, despite his promising performances at the event

Audi signs Peterhansel, Sainz and Ekstrom for Dakar 2022 entry
FIA, ASO launch new Cross-Country World Championship around Dakar
