DAKAR 2022: A 7,500km Off-Road Rally Across Saudi Arabian Deserts

The 2022 Dakar Rally is heating up already three days in. This year is proving to be a tremendous challenge with navigation being considerably more difficult. The Rally Organizers have pledged to make the 5,000 plus mile (7,500km) rally across Saudi Arabian deserts, even more arduous for the over 1,000 competitors and nearly 600 vehicles. 

Dakar 2022

Dakar 2022

With 13 stages scheduled, Dakar 2022 guarantees to be another grand rally-raid adventure through the dunes and desert terrain that will test competitors. World champions will give it their best and some may fail. New fresh rookies will jump ahead and stand out as the latest talent to benchmark. In the end, experience and heart typically prevail. 

Dakar 2022

Off Road Xtreme invites the world to access world-class Dakar 2022 race coverage through several online outlets. We will list our favorites here below. We also want to give you the scoop on what and who to watch for in this exciting global event. 

DAKAR 2022: Scheduled Stages

Jeddah to Ha’il – Stage 1
Ha’il to Al Artawiyah – Stage 2
Al Artawiyah to Al Qaisumah – Stage 3
Al Qaisumah to Riyadh – Stage 4
Riyadh to Riyadh – Stage 5
Riyadh to Riyadh – Stage 6

Rest Day

Riyadh to Al Dawadimi – Stage 7
Al Dawadimi to Wadi Ad-Dawasir – Stage 8
Wadi Ad-Dawasir to Wadi Ad-Dawasir – Stage 9
Wadi Ad-Dawasir to Bisha – Stage 10
Bisha to Bisha – Stage 11
Bisha to Jeddah – Stage 12

Dakar 2022

DAKAR 2022: American Talent 

The young rider, Ricky Brabec, became the first American to win Dakar in 2020. He was on pace to win again in 2021 but troubles set him up for a 2nd place finish. Brabec is racing for Monster Energy Honda (HRC) and experienced navigational issues during the rallies’ opening stage. This dropped him back but he charged in Stage 2 to 15th overall.  

Racing in the SSV UTV division for Monster Energy Can-Am Factory South Racing, Austin Jones finished his first Dakar rally in 8th place as a rookie in 2020. He came back in 2021 for a 2nd place podium finish. The accomplished off-road desert racer is a 2x Baja 1000 winner, and 2018 Spec Trophy Truck Champion. Most recently he captured an impressive 2021 FIA World Cup Cross Country Rally Championship dominating the entire series. Jones is leading his class after Stage 2.    

Dakar 2022

Seth Quintero made history in 2021 to become the youngest-ever stage winner. He is racing a Lightweight Prototype UTV with the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team. Seth took the Stage 1 victory but a broken front differential near the end of Stage 2 which left him waiting for a rope tow back to the bivouac.  

Dakar 2022

Racing a WR450F Rally for Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team, Andrew Short is another experienced rider who continues to impress. He is currently ranked 9th overall after Stage 2. 

Skyler Howes is an inspiring top U.S. rider who has back-to-back top-ten finishes in the Bike class. In 2021, he sold almost everything he owned to fund his race as a privateer effort. He did well enough to get noticed and even led the overall for a moment. After Dakar 2021, he was recruited by Husqvarna Factory Racing. Now in Stage 2 of Dakar 2022, he is 5th overall. 

DAKAR 2022: The Racers Who You Should know About

Who has the greatest chance to win Dakar 2022? Only the best in the world. Right now, the most promising aspects includes the Red Bull backed Nasser Al-Attiyah with Toyota’s Gazoo Racing. The team debuted a brand new GR DKR Hilux in the 4×4 Petrol and Diesel car class T1+ category that is state-of-the-art. The Qatari Olympic athlete, Baja 1000 Champion, and three-time Dakar winner is leading the race after Stage 2.

Dakar 2022

Nasser’s fiercest competition comes from Sebastian Loeb. After a mediocre performance in Stage 1 Loeb set the fastest pace for Stage 2 in his specially built Red Bull backed BRX Hunter car. These two Red Bull racers will be in the hun and likely to exchange the lead going all out for victory 

We need to recognize the Aussie and global favorite Toby Price. There are many characters and personalities in Dakar, but none as entertaining as Price. The two time winner of Dakar, was on his way to another win again in 2021 when he suffered a crash breaking apart his shoulder. He is one to watch for an overall win at Dakar 2022 aboard his Red Bull KTM 450.  

Dakar 2022

There are many other talented competitors racing in Dakar 2022. We encourage you to watch the coverage and find your favorites to root for.

DAKER 2022: Best Places To Watch and Follow

For comprehensive details on everything Dakar 2022, you need to make yourself familiar with Dakar.com. The official website does a great job offering current day results, competitor interviews and bios, and general highlights. The official Dakar App is also a great resource for up to date information. 

Dakar 2022

Redbull.com and the Redbull TV app are pretty much the top choices for Off Road Xtreme’s Dakar 2022 coverage. Red Bull has a lot invested into the event, racers, and team programs and they want to showcase that to the world. It is really exceptional coverage. 

If you are hoping to catch daily updates on television, there are 33 listed official broadcasting partners for world-wide coverage. The United States is featured by NBC Sports every evening at 8:00pm EST and NBC’s online streaming platform, Peacock TV.

Dakar 2022

Besides taking advantage of Youtube and social media in general, Race-Dezert.com fosters a community of enthusiasts who love off-road racing and enjoy discussing all things Dakar as well. We also found this article from TechRadar.com that details how to live stream Dakar 2022 from anywhere in the world.  

Dakar 2022

The American Off-Road Industry On The World Stage

Tensor Tires, and Method Race Wheels are putting out quality Dakar 2022 content but even more so, their products are ripe and center stage at this event. For years, American off-road experts and manufacturers alike have been tapped to build machines and products as well as lead teams, coach drivers, and race themselves. We expect more Americans involved and winning Dakar in the future. 

2022 Dakar Rally Standings after Stage 2

CAR RACE TOP 5

  1. N. AL-ATTIYAH (QAT) TOYOTA 06:59:21
  2. S. LOEB (FRA) BRX +09:16
  3. L. ALVAREZ (ARG) TOYOTA +40:53
  4. G. DE VILLIERS (ZAF) TOYOTA +41:22
  5. V. VASILYEV (RUS) MINI +43:39

BIKE RACE TOP 5

  1. S. SUNDERLAND (GBR) GAS GAS 08:31:29
  2. A. VAN BEVEREN (FRA) YAMAHA +02:51
  3. D. SANDERS (AUS) GAS GAS +03:29
  4. M. WALKNER (AUT) KTM +04:08
  5. S. HOWES (USA) HUSQVARNA +09:59

TRUCK RACE TOP 5

  1. D. SOTNIKOV (RUS) KAMAZ 07:59:07
  2. E. NIKOLAEV (RUS) KAMAZ +02:07
  3. A. KARGINOV (RUS) KAMAZ +18:34
  4. A. SHIBALOV (RUS) KAMAZ +22:43
  5. A. LOPRAIS (CZE) PRAGA +31:11

LIGHTWEIGHT PROTOTYPE (T3) TOP 5

  1. F. LOPEZ CONTARDO (CHL) CAN-AM 08:30:15
  2. S. ERIKSSON (SWE) CAN-AM +07:22
  3. P. LEBEDEV (RUS) CAN-AM +23:48
  4. C. GUTIERREZ (ESP) OT3 +42:45
  5. P. PINCHEDEZ (FRA) CAN-AM +48:19

Photo gallery

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Are you a fan of the Dakar Rally? What about Rally racing in general? Let us know what Off Road Xtreme should be covering in the comment section below.

Red Bull Photography Sourced from Red Bull Content Pool.
Can Am Factory South Photography Sourced from Method Race Wheels.

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About the author

Micah Anderson

Micah is a 20 year authority in the off-road industry with extensive experience founded on marketing, events, and racing. Professionally skilled in all things creative, Micah is passionate about faith, freedom, and anything powered by adventure.
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