Jesse Ziegler | January 14, 2022
It’s Dakar Rally season and we couldn’t be happier to bring you exclusive, daily coverage of the iconic and massively impressive Dakar Rally with our second season of rally racing coverage via the KLIM Dakar Rally Daily podcast – the dedicated Dakar Rally podcast from Cycle News.
Join hosts Quinn Cody and Jesse Ziegler as they stack up interviews from top rally racers, teams, managers and officials while digging deep into daily Dakar race results.
This is the place you can find real-time updates, commentary, insight and terrible predictions during and after every one of the grueling 2022 Dakar Rally stages.
You can check back here for new KLIM Dakar Rally Daily podcast episodes, or subscribe at any of the popular podcast spots below.
If you don’t see your favorite, let Jesse know and he’ll get you set up (jesse.ziegler@digitalthrottle.com)
Enjoy!
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2022 Dakar Rally Stage 12 – THE FINAL STAGE
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Show
The 2022 Dakar Rally finishes after Stage 12 and the winners are crowned.
Sam Sunderland takes his second Dakar Rally victory with a consistent performance during the 2022 Saudi Arabian event. The Gas Gas Factory racing pilot held a consistent top position throughout the trecherous event, never falling into the myriad of time traps or errors that caught most competitors off their game.
Pablo Quintanilla on the Monster Energy Honda raced hard in the final to secure second position, a great finish for the Chilean on his new team.
Red Bull KTM’s Matthias Walkner pushed in the final days to reach the overall podium in third,
The time gap between the top three is narrow, with less than seven minutes separating the top riders.
In today’s show we go over the final day, overall results, discuss results from all the other classes and tease our upcoming wrap-up show !
Enjoy!
2022 Dakar Rally Stage 11
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Show
The decisive stage in the 2022 Dakar Rally is finished, setting up the podium contenders, but maybe not the overall order, for the finish of this grueling race. Also, we’re giving away a $1,000 KLIM Gift Card!
In today’s show we go deep into what many competitors are calling the toughest day of racing in the 2022 edition of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. Massive miles and challenging terrain, mixed with navigation complications right out of the gate, had front runners scrambling to limit time loss, while those who set off in a favorable starting position further back reaped maximum benefits.
Starting the day in the overall lead for the rally, Monster Energy Yamaha’s Adrian Van Beveren had a tough task starting towards the front of the race with rival teams surrounding him. It didn’t take long for it to get worse as major time was lost in the first miles.
We speak with Van Beveren’s Yamaha teammate Andrew Short about the stage and what happened as time bled from Van Beveren’s lead.
We also hear from Pablo Quintanilla on the Monster Energy Honda team, as he kept his podium position intact after a tough day. Matthias Walkner on the Red Bull KTM is right there with him. Both of these riders needed to make more time today for overall victory considerations, but they’re certainly not out of anything yet as anything can happen!
Overall leader, once again, is GasGas’ Sam Sunderland who had a great day, finishing only four seconds back from winning the stage to set himself up for a nice ride to the win in tomorrow’s final, short, special stage.
Red Bull KTM’s Kevin Benavides re-entered the race after a mechanical DNF yesterday to take the overall win today from a deep 30’s starting position. He will be a big asset to Sunderland’s championship ride home tomorrow.
More in today’s episode you won’t want to miss!
2022 Dakar Rally Stage 10
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Show
Today’s stage saw the departure of front-runner and defending Dakar champion Kevin Benavides. Also, some big drama shakes out with time gains and losses across the board. One more big day to go!
Today is the day at the 2022 Dakar Rally where the teams align and set their best riders up to win the big show.
We get an update from Husqvarna’s Skyler Howes who is back home after a horrific crash
Red Bull KTM’s Toby Price won the stage, creeping up in the general rankings but still considerably out of contention for a podium overall position .
Monster Energy Honda led the stage from the get-go today, but dropped time mid-stage and that immediately put Red Bull KTM’s Matthias Walkner on the front of the stage to fend for himself. Walkner led well for most of the stage, but dropped considerable time at the final km’s, finishing deep in the pack.
The other half of the Honda team, Pablo Quintanilla and Joan Barreda rode well and finished strategically to set up a great result on the final big day tomorrow.
Consistent 2022 race leader Sam Sunderland lost time today on his GasGas but still is in strong contention for an overall victory.
We get into all the strategy scenarios in today’s show with quotes from Adrian Van Beveren, Sam Sunderland, Matthias Walkner, and Joan Barreda
2022 Dakar Rally Stage 9
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Show
Today’s stage is presented by the fine folks at MotoMinded. Check out their entire site full of useful and smart parts. But, you should really check out their Rally Moto Kit. It allows you to slap on a race-proven navigation tower to your dirt bike. Brilliant!
Stage nine of the 2022 Dakar Rally is done and dusted and Monster Energy Honda’s Nacho Cornejo chowed down on the course to take his second stage victory in three days. We call in to Johnny Campbell inside the motorhome shared by American Ricky Brabec and the Chilean Cornejo as they prepare dinner with master chef Kendall Norman. Brabec and Cornejo give us the lowdown on the race, and Norman let’s us all know what’s for dinner.
Then, we get a very cool surprise special guest on the show when Motocross and Supercross champion, ISDE Gold Medalist and MXGP podium regular/race winner Zach Osborne calls in on his way to the track. We expected Zach-O to have some unique perspectives on the rally so far, but we are honestly blown away by his race knowledge and smarts about rally. Also, he has a FACTORY RALLY RACE BIKE sitting in his garage. Will we see Osborne in a race soon? Sounds promising! Don’t miss our chat!
The race to the finish is still almost 1,000 km’s away over the next three days. But the overall standings have never been this close. Time is hard to find out there so some BIG moves will be coming. We hear from overall contenders Kevin Benavides and Adrian Van Beveren in today’s show.
It’s so exciting. Enjoy the show!
2022 Dakar Rally Stage 8
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Show
In today’s show we hear from stage winner and overall leader Sam Sunderland, Kevin Benavides and Mason Klein. Plus, we dig in to the final days of the race and how we see the results shaking out.
The 2022 Dakar Rally has blitzed through eight days and nearly 30 hours of timed racing for the front runners and Sam Sunderland took the stage win as we head into the final four days of racing.
Through it all, GasGas’ Sam Sunderland has led after six of these grueling days – the leading performance at the front of the general classification standings, for sure. After a rough day losing time out front yesterday, Sunderland and Red Bull KTM’s Matthias Walkner to get to where we are today.
Tune in and enjoy!
2022 Dakar Rally Stage 7
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Show
The 2022 Dakar Rally entered stage 7 after the “day without a race” rest day, and it didn’t take long for the drama to unfold.
Daniel “Chucky” Sanders crashed violently seven kilometers from the start of the morning’s liason, injuring his elbow severely and ending his Dakar hopes for 2022. The forceful Australian was confidently charging into the front of the race day after day, but a very harsh accident today ended it all.
We talk with Jordi Villadoms from the KTM Group effort about the crash.
Monster Energy Honda’s Nacho Cornejo was the big winner today taking his first stage win of the year, and bringing a bright spot to the Honda camp as the rally enters the second week. Likewise, Joan Barreda came out firing today, ignoring a painful injured shoulder to finish high in the standings. Ricky Brabec and Pablo Quintanilla raced to the front of the pack, and navigated well together today to finish the stage out front, physically, finishing seventh and 11th, respectively on the day.
We hear from Ricky Brabec about the day.
Other racers lost significant time today on the stage, and we have a new overall leader as Monster Energy Yamaha’s Adrien Van Beveren took the reigns at the front of the general classification after a successful day. previous days’ leader Sam Sunderland (GasGas) and Red Bull KTM’s Matthias Walkner lost big time today in the stage, but still sit comfortably in the top five of the overall.
Don’t miss today’s show as we get back to racing at the 2022 Dakar Rally!
2022 Dakar Rally Rest Day
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Episode 36
As the 2022 Dakar Rally enters the “rest day” we get updates from injured riders Skyler Howes and Ross Branch, have a chat with navigation training guru Jimmy Lewis, learn about Danilo Petrucci from Cycle News’ Rennie Scaysbrook and hear from Hero Motorsports rally racing director Wolfgang Fischer about the success of the Hero Rally program.
Also, we’re answering instagram-submitted questions on air and look forward to the upcoming behemoth stage 7!
It’s not really a rest day, after all. It’s just a day without a race!
2022 Dakar Rally Stage 6
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Episode 35
Rest day is here for the 2022 Dakar Rally and we’re reporting after the shortened Stage 6 that saw the motorcycle competitors hit extreme challenges on a brutally beat up course. If you remember, today’s moto course was raced on yesterday by the horsepower-hungry cars, trucks, buggies and more. And while they laid down some pretty obvious tracks to navigate from, the road book didn’t really represent the dangers out there after the carnage. The result was some big crashes right away, one taking out Monster Energy Yamaha’s Ross Branch from the race who was second off the line, only making it 3km into today’s challenge (reports are he broke his leg). Today’s first bike out, that of Danilo Petrucci, also crashed on the same obstacle, putting the MotoGP star down early, although he was able to continue on with the day, battered as he was.
That early carnage set off the chain of events that would eventually shorten the stage by 3/4 of the planned distance, with racers racing roughly 100km today. Therefore, racers looking to gain big time today were limited, and those at risk of losing a lot were presented a gift.
In today’s show we chat directly with GasGas’ Daniel Sanders and rookie sensation Mason Klein as well as the man with the meal plan, Kendall Norman.
Enjoy this unfiltered and raw look into the day leading into the rest day from the riders and teams’ perspectives as we head into the second week of this brutal event.
Thanks for listening!
2022 Dakar Rally Stage 5
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Podcast, Episode 34
The Dakar Rally starts after the rest day.
We’ve heard that plenty from racers, managers, and more. And it certainly seems to be holding true in 2022’s edition of the Dakar. Today on Stage five, we saw our first contender fall and abandon the race with American success story Skyler Howes headed to the hospital right after completing the stage. He reported in to the show with a decent prognosis after a massive crash: concussion, sore heel, no broken bones. But his race is over.
Others crashed as well, two-time stage winner Joan Barreda crashed and injured his shoulder. After finishing, he said he’ll wait until the morning to inform the organizers if his race is over. Daniel Sanders seems to have hit the deck again, as well – two days in a row for the fast Australian.
Despite the carnage, an unlikely winner emerges. MotoGP veteran Danilo Petrucci, participating in his first Dakar (maybe his first rally) took the stage win after Toby Price was docked with a six-minute speeding penalty. The win is a milestone as never has a MotoGP winner won a stage of Dakar. Also, he’s a true rookie, which puts him in rarified air again.
In today’s show we try to keep up with the changing pace of the race results, get an update from Ricky Brabec, hear from race leader Sam Sunderland, get a quote from Ross Branch and dig into what’s to come.
Check it out!
2022 Dakar Rally Stage 4
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Podcast, Episode 33
Listen in to our Stage four show for insight into the Dakar Rally’s results from the day and check out our interview with factory racer Andrew Short (Yamaha) and an epic group chat/bench race session that goes down in the bivouac with Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) and Matthias Walkner (KTM) and rookie sensation Mason Klein.
Monster Energy Honda’s Joan Barreda took his 28th career stage win today by laying down a blistering pace across 465km of fast tracks and some tricky navigation of special test.
Barreda’s Honda teammate, Pablo Quintanilla, chased his way to second on the day with the Sherco Factory Racing duo of Rui Concalves and Luciano Santolino going third and fourth, respectively. Fifth place went to Husqvarna’s Luciano Benavides.
In the general standings, GasGas Factory Racing’s Sam Sunderland retains the overall lead, now three minutes ahead of second place. Walkner moved into second overall today ahead of Yamaha’s Adrian VanBeveren. Less than five minutes seperates the top three.
MotoGP’s Danilo Petrucci had a fast race today after re-joining the race as a provisional entry after his early mechanical DNF with the third fastest time on the day. Unfortunately, he was docked 10 minutes for speeding through a limited zone, putting him in 15th officially on the day.
Don’t miss today’s show!
2022 Dakar Rally Stage 3
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Podcast, Episode 32
Stage three of the 2022 Dakar Rally is over and the competitors have once again made this race extremely entertaining. Don’t miss this show as we recap the day with the top finisher and check in with some of our favorites.
After a shortened stage three of the 2022 Dakar Rally the top racers reveal, quite bluntly and obviously, their strategies for the upcoming long-distance race days. We hear from stage winner Joaquim Rodriguez after his and Hero Motorsports’ first stage in Dakar history, Johnny Campbell checks in with a report and we get American Mason Klein to give us his recap from the day.
Racecraft is back in the mix, big time, as racers position themselves for a big time windfall during tomorrow’s stage 4 – the longest special stage of the rally. Today’s stage three was more of a sprint, relatively. But it was still a long day on the bike for the competitors. How is strategy playing out, well, GasGas’ Daniel Sanders was fast all day, leading the time sheets at every check before deciding to stop and have a picnic… literally. Sanders was so confident in his speed today that he decided to blatantly sacrifice some minutes at the end of the stage to put him in a better position for tomorrow. Wow. Others held back, as well, although not as obviously.
Hero Motorsports’ Joaquim Rodriguez topped the charts today, grabbing his maiden victory and taking his Hero Motorsports team to the top for the first time, as well.
American Mason Klein rode very fast, moving up through the pack to grab third on the stage, an impressive result for anyone, no matter the day at a Dakar Rally.
GasGas’ Sam Sunderland, leading the race going into today but starting second on the course, finished 17th on the day but still retains the overall lead by four seconds over Monster Energy Yamaha’s Adrian Van Beveren.
Mathias Walkner (KTM), Skyler Howes (Husqvarna), and Daniel Sanders round out the rally top five general standings after the day.
Tune in and see what went down, and what the racers are in for in the days to come.
This race is getting better every day.
2022 Dakar Rally Stage 2
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Podcast, Episode 31
It’s Stage 2 of the 2022 Dakar Rally and the racing shakeups continue as racers work their way through a challenging navigation trend that’s defining this year’s edition.
We chat with Sam Sunderland about navigation and course challenges and Skyler Howes calls in with a race report from the past two days.
Joan Barreda takes the stage win (his 28th!) and Sam Sunderland is the race’s newest leader, the second leader from the GasGas brand, with a strong performance in today’s stage which was supposed to be day one of a marathon. It turns out the marathon bivouac was flooded after days of rain, so organizers moved the pits to a new location and scrapped the marathon.
The race is on otherwise and what a race it’s turning out to be.
Big time gains were grabbed by KTM’s Kevin Benavides and Toby Price today in the general standings. Also on the move was Joaquim Rodriquez on the Hero machine and Andrew Short took some time back on the Monster Energy Yamaha. In fact, all the Monster Energy Yamaha machines of VanBeveren (2nd), Short (16th), and Branch (12th overall) are knocking on the top 15 in general classification.
One of the strongest day-by-day performance so far in this young race is from Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Skyler Howes as he once again maintained an incredibly consistent pace finishing in the top five today, avoiding errors and looking solid.
American Ricky Brabec made up some time from a tough day yesterday, but not as much as his fellow competitors.
This race is just getting started with 10 more days of gnarly racing to come!
2022 Dakar Rally Stage 1B
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Podcast, Episode 30
GasGas Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders took his win in yesterday’s prologue and doubled up with another win in Stage 1B, the first real day of rally racing in this 44th edition of the Dakar Rally.
Meanwhile, American youngster and Dakar rookie Mason Klein absolutely nailed his way through today’s stage, avoiding errors and blitzing to 4th overall on the stage, 5th in the general standings going into stage two tomorrow.
Using his chosen 15th starting position to his advantage, Sanders was fast and sailed through a very tricky navigation spot near the end of the special stage to gain big time on his main rivals, and maintains the race lead heading into the marathon stages two and three.
Major time losses for a big group of riders including defending champion Kevin Benavides (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Andrew Short (Monster Energy Yamaha), Joan Barreda and Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda) and Luciano Benevides (Factory Husqvarna).
Tune in to today’s show for more insight!
2022 Dakar Rally Stage 1A
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Podcast, Episode 29
The 2022 Dakar Rally has begun! Stage 1A (the prologue) featured a short 20km special stage and a long liaison to set up the first real racing stages of the 44th running of this awesome race. Find out what went down on New Year’s Day and what we think the next few days look like for the competitors.
Daniel Sanders (GasGas Factory Team) came out swinging and showed his aggressive special test speed with a win in Stage 1A of the 2022 Dakar Rally. (Monster Energy Honda’s) Pablo Quintanilla finished only a minute behind Sanders on the day (after a 5-factor coefficient applied). Finishing third on the day was Ross Branch (Monster Yamaha Rally), showing the Yamaha team is serious about their racing redemption at this year’s race.
Tomorrow is the first real day of racing for 2022 with a massive 300km+ timed special test. And that sets up Stages 2 and 3 which bookend the only Marathon stage of the rally. Then, Stage 4 comes around the corner like an angry gorilla with the longest timed special section of the year with more than 450km of special on tap. It’s about to get real wild, real quick at this year’s Dakar Rally.
We can’t wait for tomorrow!
2022 Andrew Short Pre-Race Interview
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Podcast, Episode 28
Andrew Short has been racing professional rally events for five years already. And he feels like he’s really getting up to speed on race knowledge and craft. That should come in handy as the three-man Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team comes back to Saudi Arabia looking for redemption.
As an American specializing in motocross and supercross, Short brings a special perspective to the world of rally sport and talking with him is always a treat as he explains the way things work inside the race and team.
During our chat we discuss the tragic 2021 race, updates to the Yamaha race machine, training in the USA with Jimmy Lewis and Ricky Brabec, and how he’s looking forward into the first few days of race chaos to come.
Listen in and get some insight from one of the our favorite motorcycle riding personalities, Andrew Short.
Andrew Short has been racing professional rally events for five years. And he feels like he’s really getting up to speed on race knowledge and racecraft. That should come in handy as the three-man Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team comes back to Saudi Arabia looking for redemption.
As an American specializing in motocross and supercross, Short brings a special perspective to the world of rally sport and talking with him is always a treat as he explains the way things work inside the race and team.
During our chat we discuss the tragic 2021 race, updates to the Yamaha race machine, training in the USA with Jimmy Lewis and Ricky Brabec, and how he’s looking forward into the first few days of race chaos to come.
Listen in and get some insight from one of the our favorite motorcycle riding personalities, Andrew Short.
2022 Toby Price Pre-Race Interview
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Podcast, Episode 27
Red Bull KTM’s Toby Price is a rare racing breed. He’s constantly chasing another checkered flag. In 2021 his schedule was massively hectic despite suffering a serious shoulder injury in the final days of the 2021 Dakar Rally. From race trucks in Baja to testing and developing the all-new KTM 450 Rally bike, Price seems to always be on the gas.
In our pre-race chat heading to the start of the 2022 Dakar Rally, Price opens up about being away from home for so long, testing and refining the new KTM race bike, the aggressive start stages for the 2022 Dakar, upcoming speed restrictions in rally racing, and how important it is to go fast, everyday, on every stage, to stay in contention in today’s rally game.
Join us as we have a great time talking to the man with the mullet, Toby Price.
2022 Johnny Campbell Pre-Race Interview
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Podcast, Episode 26
JCR Honda, HCR Honda and American Honda racing legend, team owner, and race team mentor Johnny Campbell stops by the Cycle News studio to talk about the 2022 Dakar Rally. Find out what the Baja Legend looks forward to during this year’s race.
Johnny Campbell needs no introduction to off-road racing fanatics around the world. But his current role inside the HRC Monster Energy Honda Team is a bit less clear. Is he Ricky Brabec’s coach? Is he a desert racing guru that simple radiates wisdom to the entire Honda rally team? What is his role and how does he see the race going in 2022? We find out what the JCR Honda team owner has been up to lately, and how he sees the team preparing and winning the 44th edition of the Dakar Rally.
2022 Ricky Brabec Pre-Race Interview
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Podcast, Episode 25
Racecraft. It’s the game behind any race and the world’s best will tell you it’s as much mental as it is physical. No other competitive event highlights this more than the Dakar Rally. The whole race is a decision. Imagine a race where you are pushed physically, challenged mentally and you’re constantly translating the tools you need to understand completely and accurately to win. Also, the race lasts two weeks. There is no rest.
In this interview we talk to HRC Monster Energy Honda Factory rally racer Ricky Brabec, America’s only Dakar Rally winner and 2021’s runner-up, days before he packed up and headed out to Saudi Arabia. We cover everything from race strategy, upcoming rule changes, training, nutrition, attrition and more.
Get inside with this candid chat from Brabec’s dining room table in California with our hosts as we get ready for the 2022 Dakar Rally to start.
2022 Skyler Howes Pre-Race Interview
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Podcast, Episode 24
This episode of the KLIM Dakar Rally Daily show is presented by the great people at MotoMinded. If you’re thinking about converting your dirt bike or dual-sport into a rally racing or lightweight ADV weapon, check out their Rally Moto Kit for a true bolt-on, Dakar-race-proven nav tower/fairing system that is made in the USA.
Our first pre-race interview of 2022 is with 2021’s biggest success story – American Skyler Howes. After two stellar privateer Dakar Rally efforts (fifth overall in 2021!), the friendly desert racer finally got the call to suit up for the Factory Husqvarna Rally Team this year. And while it seems like this is where the fireworks fly and the champagne pops for Howes, he’s far from celebrating just yet (ok, he did buy a truck to celebrate a bit).
In this candid interview recorded at the Kurt Caselli Foundation’s annual Ride Day at Fox Raceway in Pala, California, we chat with Howes about his relationship with the late, great Caselli and how some pieces of sage advice are still inspiring him today. We also get his take on the newest and future Dakar Rally rule changes, what he’s looking forward to (and not looking forward to) about the upcoming race course, how the all-new Husqvarna rally bike is, and, of course, how awesome it is to be a FREAKING FACTORY FREAKING RALLY FREAKING RACER!
Don’t miss this show featuring a special pre-interview chat with Quinn Cody about his time with Kurt Caselli, the Kurt Caselli Foundation work he’s been a part of, and some of his early memories of young Skyler pulling holeshots in the pro class against 450’s on a two-stroke!
2022 Dakar Rally Pre-Race Show
KLIM Dakar Rally Daily Podcast, Episode 23
First, let’s hear it for KLIM for stepping up and supporting our second season of Dakar Rally Daily podcasts!
We’re kicking off 2022’s KLIM Dakar Rally Daily podcast season with a pre-race show! In this episode our hosts cover everything new for 2022’s Dakar Rally. We get into new teams and riders on new bikes getting ready to race an all-new course. From rule change details to our standard terrible predictions of who’s going to win before it starts, we cover it all. Plus, we corner our co-host Quinn Cody and force him to tell us just what’s going on with the new KTM Rally bike. What’s this massive race hold for all the competitors in 2022? Find out here!
