The main stage of the Dakar Rally 2022, the vast desert of Saudi Arabia, is an inhospitable battlefield for the caravan of around 1,000 people in this year’s race – around 300 participants with each type of vehicle and their accompanying teams until January 14, 2021.

In the 12 special stages / race days of this year, navigation is again the decisive success factor for the participants – however, the competition is now more intense and so the speeds are also increasing. The participants receive the route digitally, so that they have no opportunity to prepare. So, Your success will depend on how quickly you can interpret the road book.

This year Dakar, the first – and most important – race of the newly established FIA Cross-Country World Championship this year, started from Jeddah with the qualifying route to Ha’Ilwon by Nassel Al Attiyah from Toyota in cars and Daniel Saunders from Gas Gas on motorcycles, and today (2/1) it carries out its first special route to Al Artavia.

Overdrive + Toyota Gazoo Racing with Toyota Hilux T1 and X-Raid with Mini John Cooper Works have been the protagonists for overall victory in recent years. The X-Raid won the last two iterations of the game as Al Attiyah drew a total of 80 in those two.

The two protagonists competed with two different sets of rules, one for large all-wheel drive (Toyota) and one for two-wheeled buggies (X-Raid Mini). All-wheel drive had the disadvantage of narrower tires, which were more prone to spin, but also the disadvantage of the shorter wheelbase.

This year, however, all-wheel drive was allowed to have larger tires, wheelbase, and travel, while buggies were allowed to maintain the proper cockpit tire pressure change system, depending on changing traction conditions or fuel consumption requirements. Coupled with the FIA’s other measures to even out performance, the battle for the top this year essentially wins on new cars and new data, and is expected to be unpredictable.

The big news of 2022, however, is the arrival of the Audi RS Q e-tron. The German car is aiming to be the first to win the Dakar that only uses the power of electric motors that reach 671 hp. In view of the mileage, however, it also has a petrol engine (TFSI) that runs exclusively to charge the batteries of the RS Q e-tron.

In addition to its step in the evolution of the electric drive through the advanced racing sport with its electric motors, the Ingolstadt creation has the enormous advantage of an extremely strong torque from a standstill. He also has the polynomial Stefan Petransel and the two-time Dakar winner Carlos Sainth along with the respected Matthias Extrom in the bucket. However, it remains to be seen whether he will avoid the team’s problems of unity and relative inexperience in his freshman year.

As for the motorcycles, this year’s Dakar battle is completely open and unpredictable, given the large number of combinations that can lead to victory. It’s telling that five different riders on two wheels have won over the past five years.

Everyone is back this year, four with the works KTM – including last year’s winner Kevin Benavides – and many others who have not yet won but are capable, with the works teams from Honda, Yamaha and Gas Gas.

The Spaniard Laia Santh is missing on both bikes this year. Perhaps the most high-profile woman in the institution in recent years, who has finished every special of the last 11 Dakars, this year made the great transition from motorcycle to car.