The movies usually show him with a violin melody in the background and heroes in danger in the middle of an immense loneliness, but in this desert the only music that will be heard is the one that will come out of the engines and the heroes who face him are really. Saudi Arabia hosts the third act of the toughest rally in existence, with a challenge that has proven to be up to the task in its two previous experiences and with a sea of sand and dunes to overcome until kissing the ground after the goal. Welcome to Dakar 2022.
From January 1 to 14, they expect more than 8,000 kilometers divided into twelve stages plus an initial prologue of 19 with which to start stretching their legs. A tour without visiting the north or the Empty Quarter but with enough incentives between Hail, Riyadh and Jeddah to have a 44th edition of the most complete. One that somehow marks the beginning of an era with the new categories of cars (T1 + and T1 Ultimate for alternative energies) and with the creation of the Cross Country World Championship that the discipline so badly needed.
If we talk about proper names, we must do it especially with two. To get started, that of Audi and its mammoth hybrid project with which it intends to reign one day in the Dakar. Already in its debut? It would be a surprise, but they have carats to spare with the duo of Sainz and Peterhansel plus the accompaniment of Ekstrom. Although there is no greater favorite to victory on four wheels than Al Attiyah and his Toyota, who combine speed and solvency like no one else. Loeb and Roma should be capable of more in Prodrive’s second year of BRX.
They are the protagonists of a list of 1,065 competitors (although COVID-19 can wreak havoc) in which the Spanish are the second force. Without getting off the cars, Laia Sanz starts a new life with her Mini, Esteve returns with more confidence in her Toyota, Calleja and Fuertes start their more sustainable adventure with Astara, Checa tries out in the desert with an Optimus from MD, the Plaza does not they miss the appointment … And in side by side, Cristina Gutiérrez is a candidate for everything in T3 and Farrés aspires to the same in T4, where Lascorz arrives to improve himself.
Motorcycles and more
If we make the change On two wheels, talking about Spaniards and favorites is the same in the case of Barreda and Santolino. Both must be placed in the fight for privileged positions. The one from Castellón wants to vindicate himself after the bitter farewell to the previous Dakar and is in the champion team, and the Salamanca, sixth in 2021, renews Sherco and aspirations. In front, Kevin Benavides, current champion who meets Price on KTM; Brabec (1st and 2nd in the last two years), Cornejo and Quintanilla at Honda; the Yamaha …
A priori, more competition and more fierce than in cars, and also with incorporations such as Petrucci, recently landed from MotoGP, and more Spanish: Pedrero, Sara García, Javi Vega, Sandra Gómez … To which we must add those of trucks with Herrero, Juvanteny or Llovera (Andorran but who feels Spanish), quads (Vingut and Feliu) and classics. Everyone has had at their disposal a shakedown in Jeddah to start machines before the cameras begin to shoot the third film of the Dakar in Arabia. The violins can already be heard.
Since the Dakar has been running in Saudi Arabia, it will already be three years, it is common to hear that the country gives to make a totally different tour each year through its vast territory. This time, it will be “60-70% new” according to David Castera, the race director. It is not as much as expected, since for logistical reasons the organization had to give up its initial plan, which was to take the race to the now famous Empty Quarter, the uninhabited and almost unexplored southern area of the Arab country full of dunes.
It will be a painful absence for some intrepid who wanted to face what may be the greatest challenge that Arabia can offer, but those who wanted the sand to be the main protagonist will be happy because it continues to be the case. The most rocky and stony area in the north that was crossed in the previous two years is discarded, and in which the punctures were continuous, to look for more sand and dunes. A type of terrain that will be present every day to a greater or lesser extent and that will decide the classification.
Thus, after leaving Jeddah where the usual classifications will be made and with a prologue in between, The race will start in Hail, rest in Riyadh and return to the starting point on the Red Sea for its finish. There will be several stages in a loop, up to five, with a very delicate point, the marathon, arriving very early at the beginning of the second day, and with a very complex penultimate day that seems decisive. They are somewhat shorter than usual specials, but don’t trust anyone, the Dakar will be as tough as ever.
The 12 stages of the Dakar 2022: The toughest rally in the world starts and ends in Jeddah after traveling more than 8,000 kilometers between links and specials.
Compared to the previous edition, there are not many changes to the Dakar regulations, but they are not necessary either. Because with the two main novelties that are released this 2022 in Saudi Arabia are more than enough. Specifically, two classes: T1 + and T1-Ultimate. Both affect the main category of cars, the sauce of competition, and will mean a drastic change in the struggle of forces on four wheels. The first consists of equal to the 4×4 and the traditional motor buggies and the second, the introduction of alternative energies.
In recent years, in addition to the battle behind the wheel between the top favorites, read Toyota and Mini, there was another one in front of the microphones with continuous debates about who the rules favored. The SUVs (4×4) had more weight, smaller wheels and less suspension travel, and the buggies (4×2) the opposite and with an auto-inflation system. Therefore, to balance forces, the T1 + category is created in which the benefits are equal: increases the size of the car, the wheels and the suspension travel.
The best, Toyota, Mini and BRX are aiming at this, and the FIA will have to mediate with a correct ‘Balance of Performance’ between them and between the other great novelty, Audi, the main claim of the other new T1-U category thanks to its propulsion system that combines three electric motors with one gasoline that powers the battery. With the signing of the four rings, and two more hydrogen-powered vehicles (GCK’s buggy and Gaussin’s truck), a new era begins that will land on a low-emission 2030 Dakar in its entirety.
Other registrants also compete in a more sustainable way with the use of biofuels that are less polluting for the environment, such as the BRX from Prodrive or the Spanish Astara. And all will also participate with the incentive to contest the first points of the World Cross Country, another important novelty promoted by the FOM under the auspices of the FIA and FIM and which begins its calendar in Saudi Arabia and then continues in Abu Dhabi, Kazakhstan, Andalusia and Morocco. A new era opens.
If there is a word that is constantly repeated when talking about the car with which Audi debuts in the Dakar, the RS Q e-tron, in addition to being ‘electric’, the obvious one, is ‘complex’. Because it is true that it is, and a lot. The German brand did not want to enter a competition like this with a conventional prototype, its ambition goes further and now, in the words of Stefan Dreyer, head of development at Audi Sport, they intend “to be the first to win the Dakar with an alternative engine”. That is the end goal of your project.
For this they have developed in just one year and with all the accumulated experience in other categories, such as Formula E (for the electrical part) and the DTM (for the heat engine)A hybrid 4×4 that is a real beast on the outside with a sophisticated powertrain and software inside. It consists of three MGUs, one on the front axle, one on the rear and a final one that acts as a generator together with a TFSI petrol engine “which intervenes depending on the power required by the battery.” Altogether, it can deliver 500 kW (670 hp), although it will be limited to below 300 kW.
“At Audi we are thinking about what will be the engine of the future in motorsports that can adapt to various scenarios and that’s where this came from. It allows you many things depending on how the power supply is. It is the one that best and most perfectly adapts to the Dakar in the time we had, “explains Dreyer, and Sven Quandt, head of Q Motorsport and project partner, adds: “There are four systems, each one speaks a different language and we teach them to communicate. They have different temperatures, energy sources and ways of transporting it. “
“The biggest challenge is the system itself,” confesses Stefan. “It is the most complex car I have ever worked on. What is very special is its chassis concept, connecting areas with cable plates has never been done. I was very critical at the beginning, but it works. Nice to see you wrong. when you’re inventing a car, “admits Sven, who was” quite concerned that he couldn’t complete a stage “:” But then we saw that it was possible. ” Especially, thanks to a tank of about 300 liters of gasoline that ensures the energy supply.
“The main task has been to look for reliability”, something that can be very delicate in a system with a four-kilometer cable and countless sensors: “You need them all, but if one fails, the car stops.” In that case, there are faults that can be solved from a steering wheel and some controls with more technology than usual in the Dakar, others not: “We have focused on those that are more likely to pass.” They have had more than 8,000 km of testing to put it to the test, but the real one begins in Saudi Arabia.
All eyes will be on the main Dakar categories, but some will inevitably turn to those who will race it in parallel. Especially true lovers of the toughest rally out there, they have a real delight to behold in the classic vehicles that participate in the rally. Dakar Classic, the category that debuted in 2021 and that returns with an entry that multiplies the numbers of the previous one until it reaches almost 150 participants between cars and trucks, with a wide Spanish representation.
The competition is quite different from the main Dakar. They make a parallel route that enters and leaves the specials and their classification is decided by points, not by times. The challenge is to maintain the rhythm and speed set by the organization for an already stipulated route And, as a novelty in its second edition, they will have to face navigation tests that are more similar to those of the original test in which they will have to follow a course. A mode for nostalgic people that makes the Dakar more accessible.