The Dakar Rally has been run and won, here are some photo highlights from the event that many regard as the toughest off-road race in the world.
Photography by RallyZone, GasGas, Yamaha, Dakar Press, HRC
Sam Sunderland took his second victory in the Dakar Rally and a first for KTM-owned GasGas as the world’s best off-road protagonists descended on Saudi Arabia to do battle in the desert.
Briton Sunderland proved consistency was the key to Dakar glory, taking just a single stage win but crucially staying in the top five for most of the stages. Although Sunderland hit the rally lead after Stage 2, he was never comfortably in front and lost the rally lead on Stage 10 to Yamaha’s Adrien van Beveren. However, Sunderland’s mastery of navigation meant he was soon back in front by Stage 11 after taking second to KTM’s Kevin Benavides, setting himself up for the final run to Jeddah and gold, once again, for Great Britain.
Second, once again, went to Honda’s Pablo Quintanilla. The Chilean finished second in the epic 2020 tussle with Ricky Brabec and was closing on the 2022 Rally lead at the right time, only to run out of stages as Sunderland held on by three minutes and 27 seconds.
Rounding out the podium was KTM’s 2018 Dakar Champion and current World Rally Champion, Matthias Walkner. Like Sunderland, the Austrian played the long game at Dakar 2022, taking no stage wins but hitting the Rally lead after Stage 9 thanks to his consistent performances inside the top six. It wasn’t, however, enough to take him to a second Dakar triumph.
Sunderland did everything right in 2022, staying out of trouble and taking advantage when others either crashed or lost their way with navigational errors. The Briton now joins the Dakar greats as a two-time winner.
American Ricky Brabec (pictured above and below) lost nearly an hour on Stage 1B, effectively ending any chances he had of taking the win. The Californian failed to win a stage in 2022 but surged back into the top 10 in seventh, marking one of the most impressive rides of this year’s race.Much was expected of Daniel Sanders in Dakar 2022 and the Australian was delivering by taking two stage wins and the Prologue Day to sit in third by the end of Stage 6. But it all went wrong in the early hours of Stage 7 as the field rode the liaison stage to the start, where he crashed on the road and broke his left elbow and wrist, putting him out of the race on the spot.
Former AMA motocross and supercross star Andrew Short had one of his best Dakar Rallies to date, finishing eighth on the factory Yamaha. With teammate Ross Branch out of the rally on Stage 6 with a leg injury, it left Short and Adrien van Beveren as the only Yamahas in the top 20 in a sea of KTMs and Husqvarnas. Short held his own, finishing usually in the stage top 15 to seal his place in the overall top 10.
The 2022 Dakar was another case of what might have been for Joan Barreda. The certified Dakar Legend was in the running for the title but crashed heavily on Stage 5, separating his shoulder. But the Spaniard gritted his teeth and rode through the pain barrier, eventually finishing the rally in fifth and second Honda overall.
Defending Dakar Champion Kevin Benavides (pictured above and below) didn’t have the best of rallies in 2022. In his Dakar debut for Red Bull KTM, the Argentine’s race would come to a grinding halt on Stage 10 with a mechanical problem. He was allowed to rejoin but with a massive 15-hour time penalty. Benavides still showed his mettle, however, winning Stage 11 just to prove a point.The 2022 Dakar was another case of what might have been for Joan Barreda. The certified Dakar Legend was in the running for the title but crashed heavily on Stage 5, separating his shoulder. But the Spaniard gritted his teeth and rode through the pain barrier, eventually finishing the rally in fifth and second Honda overall.
Nacho Cornejo was, once again, a standout performer on the Dakar with two stage wins but when he wasn’t winning, he was often out of the top 10. This ended any chance he had of toppling Sunderland and the steamrolling GasGas.
Two-time Dakar Champion Toby Price was never in the hunt for the overall after losing nearly one hour on Stage 2 after making fatal navigational errors. The Aussie hard man still took Stage 10 to keep his Dakar stage win tally ticking over, but he admitted after the race that he needs to do better in 2023.
MotoGP refugee Danilo Petrucci surprised the racing world big time in his Dakar debut. The Italian took an emotional Stage 5 victory after Toby Price was docked six minutes for speeding, but in truth, Petrucci’s rally was over after Stage 2 when he lost his phone and was thus unable to call his team to fix a mechanical issue with his KTM. He was allowed to restart, but with a race-ending time penalty.
Adrien van Beveren was, once again, the leading Yamaha rider in the Dakar and with a quarter of the race to go was leading Sunderland in the overall standings. He was caught out on Stage 11 when, leading the pack away, the Frenchman lost a shattering 15:30s and Sunderland went for the kill. Van Beveren would finish fourth overall.
Matthias Walkner’s (pictured above and below) Dakar was one marked by incredible consistency but not enough raw speed. The Austrian came home third overall and took the lead of the Rally briefly on Stage 9, but it wasn’t enough to stop Sunderland.Lead Honda for the 2022 Dakar went to Pablo Quintanilla (pictured above and below). In his first Dakar for HRC, the Chilean rode an exceptional race and closed right up to Sunderland at the finish and had there been another stage he may well have got there. In the end, he had to settle for second, marking two second places in the last three years of Dakar competition.You’ve got to give Mason Klein a round of applause! In his first Dakar, the 20-year-old Californian, of the BAS Dakar KTM Racing team, did America proud by finishing ninth ahead of two-time Dakar king, Toby Price. Klein, who hails from Agua Dulce, first heard of the Dakar Rally in 2018 while attending a KTM Adventure Rally. “I saw a rally bike for the first time, and I told my parents, I need to do that!” he said. Klein cut his off-road racing teeth in the Best In The Desert and AMA National Hare & Hound series and has taken to rally racing very quickly, with the help of some of his Rally friends like Skyler Howes. This is a young man to watch in 2023.
Skyler Howes had high hopes on his first Dakar as a factory Husqvarna rider and was eighth after Stage 4. Unfortunately, that’s as far as the Utah resident got. A massive crash on Stage 5 properly rung his bell, and Howes was out of the Rally with a concussion. He’ll be back next year. You can bet on that.
