2022 Dakar Rally Preview [w/video]

The 2022 Dakar Rally will commence in a matter of days. The 44th instalment of the famous race will, once again, be hosted solely in Saudi Arabia from January 1-14. This year’s route will consist of over 8 000 km across the Saudi Arabian deserts. More than 1 000 racers will take the start in Jeddah.

Several categories of vehicles are catered for in the world’s most gruelling off-road race. These include bikes, quads, light prototypes, SSV, cars and trucks. It is the car category that we are most concerned with. This year is shaping up to be a classic with several big-name drivers and manufacturers in the hunt.

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New rules

There’s been a major shake-up in the rules for 2022 as the four-wheel-drive cars (T1+ class) are now allowed to upgrade to wider tyres and have more suspension travel, but slightly decreased engine outputs. The two-wheel-drive cars (buggies) retain the ability to deflate/inflate their tyres from the cockpit, with the major changes being that the T3 category vehicles’ top speed has increased from 130 km/h to 140 km/h. The T1 category also sees the official inclusion of the T1 e category, which forms part of the Dakar organisers’ sustainability goal for the event.

Toyota has taken advantage of the new rules to build T1+ Hilux bakkies for all its drivers. You can read more about the revised, GR DKR Hilux racer as well as the driver line-up at this link.

Another team taking advantage of the changes is the Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX) with its Prodrive Hunter T1+. The team is fielding a heavy-hitting three-car squad that includes Nani Roma/Alex Haro, Sebastien Loeb/Fabian Lurquin and Orlando Terranova/Dani Oliveras.

2022 Dakar Rally: A new era

Audi announced its intention to compete at the Dakar Rally for the very first time in the T1 e category. The automaker that is known for its Le Mans exploits will race with a not-quite-electric, not-quite-combustion hybrid called the Audi RSQ E-tron. Audi has been testing its new charge (sorry) extensively and has employed experienced hands for its maiden Dakar campaign; Mattias Ekström/Emil Bergkvist, Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger and Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz.

Take a closer look of the Audi RSQ E-Tron by clicking here.

SA contingent

As many know the Dakar Hiluxes are built right here in Johannesburg. So too are the Century Racing buggies (CR6), of which there will be ten competing in the 2022 race. Last year Brian Baragwanath was a regular front-runner in the car category.

This year he will be joined by four other South African crews in similar machines and well as many international drivers who have opted for the CR6 including twin brothers Tim and Tom Coronel. Keep an eye out for the V8 powered RWD buggies.

Other challengers

Other front runners in the 2020 event are expected to be the Mini teams. Unusually, there are two types of “Mini” an all-wheel-drive version and a two-wheel-drive buggy, as driven to victory in the last two events, both hosted in the sandy Saudi deserts.

Fast local Yazeed Al Rajhi will compete in his eighth Dakar in a T1+ Toyota Hilux as well. He will be one of many drivers aiming to stamp their authority on the timesheets by, at the very least, leaving the event with a stage win.