Dakar 2022: Guerlain Chicherit confirms his return to 2022 Dakar Rally with co-driver Alex Winocq

It marks his 11th Dakar Rally and his first following his 6-year Dakar hiatus
Chicherit’s own race team, GCK Motorsport, will run the programme and the vehicle will be fuelled by bioethanol

FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup Champion Guerlain Chicherit has confirmed his plans to return to racing the world’s most arduous long-distance race, the Dakar Rally, in a 340bhp strong, off-road beast powered by bioethanol, the GCK Thunder.

2022 will allow GCK Motorsport to compete in the famous long-distance event using a renewable alternative to fossil fuel with the introduction of bioethanol as an approved FIA fuel source for Dakar. While bioethanol presents one of the most environmentally friendly solutions available today, GCK Motorsport’s well-publicised work towards creating an environmentally friendly cross-country solution continues, which will see them design, develop and integrate their own high-performance fuel cell system with global engineering giant FEV to be race-ready in 2023/24.

Chicherit’s 2022 entry in the GCK Thunder forms part of a multi-year test programme of drivers, car components and team towards achieving the Group’s vision. In parallel, the GCK e-Blast 1 presented at the 2021 Dakar continues to be developed into the e-Blast H2, the hydrogen hybrid set to race in 2023.

2022 will also see the return of a much-loved Dakar duo with the hugely experienced Alex Winocq confirmed as co-driver to Chicherit. The two made headlines in 2015 during one of the most dramatic Dakar Rally stages, which saw them both rise from the ashes of a burned-out buggy to rebuild the vehicle and finish the stage successfully. Having also battled the punishing terrain together in 2016, the pair has been working on joining forces again ever since.

“I’ve made no secret of my passion for Dakar and my desire to return to racing it. It has underpinned a huge number of decisions of GCK Motorsport over the last few years and everyone who knows me, knows how hard it has been to be patient and wait to come back when the time is right. The development programme that we’ve now launched as GCK Motorsport and the work we’re doing alongside the ASO in support of reducing the event’s environmental impact makes me super excited to return. I believe the Dakar Rally is the biggest challenge an athlete and a team can possibly face together, and to do so successfully is a long-distance race in itself. I’m ready and can’t wait to take on this next challenge.”, Chicherit added.

Having raced the Dakar 10 times between 2005 and 2016, Guerlain has focused on building his own motorsport team and technical development programme since. Known as GCK Motorsport, Chicherit’s motorsport programme works on advancing and integrating performance-driven greener technology to support the future of motorsport competitions close to the Frenchman’s heart. GCK Motorsport is the media and sport flagship of Green Corp Konnection (GCK), a group of industrial companies developing technological solutions at the forefront of the energy transition in mobility and green energy supply.

Source GCK Motorsport