Dakar 2022: Miguel Barbosa takes stock of the first week of Dakar

Note: Automatic translation

The BP Ultimate Vodafone Team driver is having a complicated Dakar

Miguel Barbosa is in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, on a well deserved rest day after seven intense days of competition. The BP Ultimate Vodafone Team driver who is navigated by Pedro Velosa at the controls of Toyota Hilux T1 Overdrive makes the balance of this first week of the race.

"A balance of a difficult race for us. We had no luck on our first day and that threw us back. Unfortunately the starting order policy of both the race management and the FIA is penalizing a lot and spoiling the spirit of the Dakar. The criticism is generalized, since no matter what we do, we are always pushed backwards. It has been a daily fight to try to scrape ahead. Our category is very competitive, which makes everything even more difficult", says the BP Ultimate Vodafone Team driver, who adds:

"We are pleased to have made it this far. The car was completely redone from top to bottom today and in that aspect we are happy, but we are aware that it will be very difficult to fight this situation and, therefore, I foresee another difficult week. Tomorrow we have a long stage of about 400 kilometers where we are going to leave very late - we are leaving at over 100º between Autos, SSVs and Trucks - which means that we will find the track very destroyed, the sand warmer and, therefore, softer. Let's see what this second week has in store for us in a race where the best part has been the dune areas. The rest has been a lot of kilometers up and down which have not given us much pleasure".

The 7th stage of Dakar 2022, with 402 km of qualifying time, enters unknown territory when hostilities resume after the rest day. This journey begins with about 100 km of dunes in what seems like an endless succession of ergs. After this exercise in the dunes, the driving gets easier, but the maze of tracks will demand a lot of navigation.

Source BP Ultimate Vodafone Team official press release
Automatic translation from the Portuguese version