Not only SSVs are experiencing interesting times and forced to develop their vehicles at a fast pace. The T1+ category, which had its official debut at the Dakar Rally this January, also facing some changes. Who else could tell us more about the category and its future than Overdrive Toyota boss Jean-Marc Fortin?

“So, looking at the new regulation for 2023 I think we saw here in Morocco that the Audis are fast, they won stages here. Looking compared to the turbo petrol engine as the Toyota or as the Bahrain car, we’re just worried a little bit. We know that we are in the, let's say, lobbying moment but truly the facts are facts, we're seeing a reduction of power for our turbo car. It means about 40 horsepower, which is a lot.
So, that's something we need to put in the balance for the next Dakar and it’s difficult to see to see a clean fight for the future. The rest of the regulation is, I think, quite well balanced now with T1+, we see, we are waiting now for the Mini T1+ coming also to Dakar, and welcoming also Ford.
So, that's for me the future of the cross-country discipline for the top cars. I’m not talking about other categories. Honestly, I think the T1+ will be the long bridge before the hybrid or other new technologies from where it was announced two years ago in Dakar.
So, that's the reality for 2023, and I hope we can have a good fight, that's the most important.

At the moment we have really high demand for T1+. We have a process that we build a car every month and we deliver a car every month to the customer. We already have a few cars booked for 2023. It’s a quite busy moment for a new product like we have and that's good. That's what we expected two years ago. We have a new regulation with a bigger car with bigger rim. It’s interesting, if you look at the fight between Seb and Nasser, it was very good. You can see the speed of Yazeed and Guerlain and Terranova. It was a tough [race in] Morocco and finally we’ve shown that T1+ is probably the future for, as I said, a few years before the hybrid technology,”
Jean-Marc Fortin told us in Morocco.

Text: Rita Kónya
Interview: Sveta Amelichkina
Photos: MCH

Key points:
- Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing), 3rd on the Rallye du Maroc, has taken the lead in the FIA world championship with an advantage of 22 points over Sebastien Loeb (Bahrain Raid Xtreme), the previous leader.
- Sam Sunderland, 5th in Morocco and consistent throughout the race, has strengthened his position as leader (on 74 points) and finds himself ahead of the Monster Energy Honda bikes ridden by Pablo Quintanilla (on 52 points) and Ricky Brabec (50 points).
- Mason Klein (Rally 2), Alexandre Giroud (quad) and “Chaleco” López (T3) have all retained their 1st places whilst in the T4 class, Rokas Baciuska (South Racing Can-Am) and Marek Goczał (Cobant-Energylandia Rally) are now neck-and-neck. Although Martin Macík (MM Technology) led the rally from start to finish, nonetheless Kees Koolen has been crowned FIA rally-raid championship winner in the T5 (truck) category.
- The titles in the other categories will be decided on completion of the final leg of the season at the Andalucía Rally from 18th to 23rd October.

T1: Loeb stalls and Al Attiyah reaps the benefits
The FIA world championship has witnessed a complete turnaround! Almost 9 months after the previous leg, at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Sébastien Loeb (Bahrain Raid Xtreme) arrived with a one-point lead over Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing). With 3rd place on the Rallye du Maroc, the Qatari won one stage whilst his French rival (who finished 13th) tasted victory twice. As a result, the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver has swept up most of the points, meaning that he has now taken the lead in the world championship, with an advantage of 22 points over Sébastien Loeb (144 points to 122 points).
The best performance of the week should however go to Guerlain Chicherit. By winning the Rallye du Maroc, the GCK Motorsport driver has achieved one of the best results of his rally-raid career. He has leapt up the world championship leader board and now occupies 5th place with 48 points. To find out how it will finish and who will be in the final top 10, all eyes will now be on the Andalucía Rally.

T3: “Chaleco” keeps the lead but Quintero closes in
In the T3 class, the expectation was for a battle between the top two in the world championship: “Chaleco” López (Can-Am Factory South Racing), the leader before the Rallye du Maroc, and his closest pursuer Cristina Gutiérrez (Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team). However, the main winner of the event was Seth Quintero. The American driver (Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA) took control of the rally the day before the finish and was victorious overall, in front of “Chaleco” López and Cristina Gutiérrez. In the race for the world title, he still occupies 3rd place (on 144 points) behind the uncatchable Chilean (on 182 points) and the Spaniard (on 154 pts).

T4: a tie for the lead!
In the T4 class, the suspense was also constant and there were many upheavals. The leader before the start, namely American Austin Jones (Can-Am Factory South Racing), only finished 6th on the rally and consequently drops to 3rd place in the championship (on 151 points), overtaken by Rokas Baciuska (South Racing Can-Am), who won the Rallye du Maroc, and Marek Goczał (Cobant-Energylandia Rally Team), a stage winner on three occasions. Strangely enough, the two men share the lead in the race for the world title with the same number of points (152).

T5: Kees Koolen grabs the year’s first title!
In the truck category, Czech driver Martin Macík sailed through this edition of the Rallye du Maroc. He won three stages and led from the start to the finish of the race. However, it was not sufficient to knock the leader of the championship, Kees Koolen (Project 2030), off his perch. The Dutchman tasted victory on two stages and finished 2nd in Morocco, allowing him to retain a slim advantage in the category on 186 points, 26 points better off than Martin Macik. Since it was the last leg of the season, the Dutch driver has become the first competitor to be crowned world champion this year.

Moto Rally GP: gently does it for Sunderland
Unbeaten this season at the start of the race following his prestigious successes on the Dakar then the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Sam Sunderland (GasGas Factory Racing) displayed consistency throughout the Rallye du Maroc. With a 5th place finish in the overall rankings, the British rider has strengthened his position of world championship leader on 74 pts. He boasts a lead of 12 points over his closest pursuer, Pablo Quintanilla (Monster Energy Honda) who suffered a fall during the rally and finished overall 10th at the end of the race. As for Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda), he climbs onto the podium, moving from 4th to 3rd place (with 50 points). His team-mate Adrien Van Beveren, a two times stage winner, did likewise, climbing from 7th to 6th position (with 33 points). The Andalucía Rally could see even more upheavals in the Top 10!

Moto Rally 2 and Quads: Klein and Giroud accumulate the points
Throughout the Rallye du Maroc, Mason Klein (BAS World KTM Racing Team) performed impressively, regularly keeping pace with the Rally GP riders. With three stage wins out of five and the lead in the overall rankings for the entire race, he triumphed with flying colours. In the world cup rankings, he has strengthened his first position (on 88 points) in front of his closest pursuer, Romain Dumontier (Team Dumontier Racing), who was third on the rally and currently has 60 points. In the quad category, Alexandre Giroud, the winner of the Dakar and leader going into the race, rode in a manner to protect his advantage. Although he finished 8th on the Rallye du Maroc due to engine problems, the Yamaha SMX Dragon’s rider still holds the lead in his category with 63 points. Most of the riders and drivers in the various categories will be coming together in Andalusia in a dozen days’ time for the final contest of the season, and it promises to be one hell of a battle!

Rally 3: a great start
For the 9 riders who set off behind the handlebars of their enduro bikes with increased range and equipped with navigation equipment, it was their first competition of the two legs that make up the FIM world cup. However, the rally turned into a demonstration by one of their number: Amine Echiguer. The Moroccan was victorious on 4 of the 5 stages held and always led the overall rankings. This victory on home soil allows him to take the lead in the world cup with the title also to be decided in Andalusia. Guillaume Borne (Husqvarna Morocco Rally) and Indian Abdul Wahid (Sherco TVS Factory) complete this first podium of the season.

Leaders FIA-FIM world rally-raid championships :
FIA : Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing, 144 pts)
T3 : Francisco Lopez (Can-Am Factory South Racing, 182 pts)
T4 : Rokas Baciuska (South Racing Can-Am, 182 pts) ex aequo avec Marek Goczal (Cobant-Energylandia Rally Team, 182 pts)
Vainqueur T5 : Kees Koolen (Project 2030, 186 pts)
Moto RallyGP : Sam Sanderland (GasGas Factory Racing, 74 pts)
Moto Rally 2 : Mason Klein (BAS World KTM Racing Team, 88 pts)
Quad : Alexandre Giroud (Yamaha SMX Dragon’s, 63 pts)

Source ASO
Photo: A.S.O./J.Delfosse/DPPI

Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren is the latest reinforcement to the Monster Energy Honda Team, joining riders Ricky Brabec, José Ignacio Cornejo and Pablo Quintanilla.

It’s official – Adrien Van Beveren is the latest addition to the Monster Energy Honda Team. Ruben Faria, the team’s General Manager, does not hide his enthusiasm with the arrival of the Frenchman – who joins the North American Ricky Brabec and the Chileans José Ignacio Cornejo and Pablo Quintanilla: “We are very pleased with this announcement and we have already completed together the first tests with the Honda 450 CRF RALLY. There is great harmony in the team and I am sure Adrien will help us to achieve our competitive goals”, he explained.

Born on February 4, 1991 in Hazebrouck, France, Adrien Van Beveren had a successful motocross career before joining the raid rally racing. A specialist in sand, he won the mythical Touquet Enduro three times in a row – at that time he became known as the “Little Prince”. In the Dakar, he disputed the leadership in several editions, finishing fourth in 2017 and 2022. In this new adventure with Honda, Adrien does not hide his ambition: “I am really happy and excited with this opportunity! I feel proud to become a Honda Racing rider, since HRC is the worldwide competition factory reference. I am sure it will be an incredible experience. To seat a red bike brings me good memories, since I had a Honda when I was 8 years old! In addition, it’s great to have Monster Energy onboard – I’ve been riding with them for more than 10 years”.

With 1.87 meters tall and weighing 86 kg, Adrien has a huge passion for motorsports. So when he’s not riding the Honda 450 CRF RALLY, he likes to ride a wave runner, rally car, track bike or buggy. To help his physical preparation he is also a mountain bike fan.

Source Monster Energy Honda Team

2022 Calendar, UPDATE 19 April .

Baja Atacama 1: originally scheduled from 29-31 August will now take place from 27 to 30 August.
Baja Atacama2: initially scheduled from 01-02 September will now be held from 31 August to 01 September.

Source FIM

The end of the 2022 Dakar Rally in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in which Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team riders Adrien van Beveren and Andrew Short finished in fourth and eighth place respectively, brings to a close Yamaha's long and storied association with the 450cc motorcycle class at both the Dakar Rally and the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.

Yamaha is the only brand that has featured in every Dakar Rally since its inception, with Frenchman Cyril Neveu taking victory aboard a Yamaha XT500 on the very first edition in 1979 and following that up with a second win a year later. Dakar Legend Stéphane Peterhansel scored a record six victories for Yamaha in the 1990s with Italian Edi Orioli adding to Yamaha's success in Africa with victory in the 1997 edition.

In more recent years the unique WR450F 2-Trac enjoyed a successful start in the 400cc Super Production category, finishing best in class at the 2004 and 2005 races with David Frétigné. He rode the bike to third overall at the first South American edition in 2009, with Hélder Rodrigues also finishing on the podium in 2011 and 2012, before Olivier Pain took third in 2014. For 2015, Yamaha brought a brand new WR450F Rally, with the Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team coming close to podium finishes on several occasions, with Adrien van Beveren missing out on winning the 2018 edition just a few kilometres from the finish.

With 44 Dakar Rallies behind it, Yamaha will no longer race at the event with the WR450F Rally but will continue to have a presence in the SSV category supporting racers with its Yamaha YXZ1000R prototype project, which was raced in the 2021 and 2022 Dakar Rally editions, finishing 2nd and 6th as part of the ongoing development program. On two wheels the focus will shift to meeting evolving customer requirements in the off-road sector, considering the future introduction of the new Ténéré World Raid.

Yamaha would like to thank everyone involved in organising the Dakar Rally, the team’s crew, the riders and the sponsors who worked with the manufacturer over the last four decades and brought so much success and many emotions.

Eric de Seynes - President, Chief Executive Officer, Yamaha Motor Europe: " Yamaha has a long and storied history with the Dakar Rally, starting in 1979 at the first ever edition and running unbroken into the modern era. It's also an event that I personally have a real passion for, having twice contested the event and for many years worked closely with Jean-Claude Olivier, who not only raced and won stages at the Dakar but also oversaw Yamaha's most successful pioneer period in the rally. However, while the Dakar Rally has mainly succeeded in remaining close to its roots, even when it moved out of its spiritual home of Africa, the world in which it exists has changed considerably. Our off-road customers now have different expectations and they look for different products, and we must cater for these if we are to stay connected. It is for this reason we have decided to end our long history on two wheels at the Dakar Rally and in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, while simultaneously strengthening our commitment to racing the Dakar on four wheels with the Yamaha YXZ1000R SSV. However Yamaha's commitment to Rally Raid events with motocycles is not over, but our future engagement must have a closer connection to our customers and their aspirations, developing further the Ténéré 700 potential towards a direction which will enable them to rediscover the more adventurous side of Rallies."

Source Yamaha Racing

Two weeks before the start of the new Extreme E season in Saudi Arabia, the driver pairing of ABT CUPRA XE has been announced: The new partner alongside Jutta Kleinschmidt will be the current and altogether four-time Dakar Rally winner Nasser Al-Attiyah. Mattias Ekström will concentrate on his other duties and leave the team. The first race of the 2022 season will be held in Neom on 19 and 20 February.

“I’m already a bit excited and believe that this will be a great experience for me. Extreme E is an exciting series with the ambition to contribute to a better future,” says Nasser Al-Attiyah, who won the famous Dakar Rally for the fourth time this year after 2011, 2015 and 2019. “I am proud to be a part of the team now. Expectations are high: with the experience of ABT CUPRA XE and Jutta by my side, we are determined to race for victories. I can’t wait to sit in the car and have fun.”

Hans-Jürgen Abt is also happy with the new partner alongside Jutta Kleinschmidt. “Of course we are a bit sad to let Mattias go. He did a great job in our team during the first season on and off the track and has been part of our family for 20 years – that won’t change, but of course we respect his priorities,” says the managing partner of ABT Sportsline. “With Jutta and Nasser we now have a new team at the start that is extremely strong again. Our goals remain the same: we want to fight for race wins and the title.”

Jutta Kleinschmidt enters her second season with the experience of four out of five Extreme E weekends so far. “Last year we created a solid basis and fought for front positions. This year the challenge is to be even more consistent in taking wins and trophies, and we are ready for that,” says the first and so far only female Dakar winner. “Being able to share my passion for off-road racing with such a great team and now a Dakar star like Nasser is fantastic motivation. I just want to start the season.”

Even more anticipation comes with a look at the German-Qatari duo’s race car: The CUPRA Tavascan XE now replaces the e-CUPRA ABT XE1 from the first season: With its spectacular exterior and striking LED lights, the off-road racing car gives a first hint of the design language of the future CUPRA Tavascan production car. The brand’s second purely electric model is being developed in Barcelona and is scheduled for market launch in 2024. The CUPRA Tavascan XE is more sustainable than its predecessor: flax fibre parts from the 3D printer make work on the car even more flexible and environmentally friendly.
 
After the season opener in February, four more destinations are on the calendar for the second Extreme E season: at the beginning of May, it’s off to Sardinia, in June to Senegal or Scotland, in September to Chile and for the finale in October to the coast of Uruguay. Ten teams, each with a woman and a man taking turns at the wheel, compete for the championship.

Source ABT Sportsline

The Dakar, the opening round of the W2RC, has come to an end after 12 stages in which the drivers, riders and crews fought to get their hands on the famous Bedouin trophy, as well as earning the first points towards a ranking that will continue to take shape in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in March, followed by the Kazakhstan Rally in April, the Andalucía Rally in June and, finally, the Rallye du Maroc in October.
Nasser Al-Attiyah leads the car ranking. Together with the points gained by his Overdrive teammate Yazeed Al-Rajhi, his performance propelled Toyota Gazoo Racing to the summit of the provisional constructor standings. In the T3 category, "Chaleco" López could not have asked for a more auspicious start to his adventure in a lightweight prototype. In the T4 category, Austin Jones leads after the first round. In the T5 category, Martin Macík and his yellow truck left the competition fighting for scraps. In the motorbike category, Sunderland sits at the top of the rider ranking, but Honda dominates the constructor classification for now.
It comes as no surprise to see the overall winners top the standings, but their advantage is nowhere near insurmountable, setting the stage for a series packed with varied landscapes and dramatic turnarounds throughout the 2022 season.
Behind the main contenders, the design of the Championship makes sure that the drivers and riders who race for teams that contribute to the depth and diversity of the international field are also in the mix: the Century buggies, with Serradori, have already stepped into the fray, as have the Sherco and Hero motorbikes, and they are all ready to pounce on every opportunity to make life difficult for the heavy hitters.

CARS: LOEB AND AL-ATTIYAH NECK AND NECK

10 different drivers have been awarded points after the various stages of the Dakar. 16 finishers have also earned points for their positions in the final standings of the first round of the championship. Five top Dakar competitors have landed a monster haul. Al-Attiyah and Loeb are virtually tied. Nasser got a substantial boost from the 50 points that come with his victory in Jeddah, but Sébastien made up most of the difference with several places of honour in stages. Toyota Gazoo Racing's Qatari driver has 85 points, one more than BRX's Frenchman. Yazeed Al-Rajhi and his Toyota Overdrive (51 points) lie ahead of Jakub Przygoński and his Mini X-raid (36 pts), with Mathieu Serradori and his Century SRT in fifth place (33 points).

Sebastián Halpern picked up almost no points during the race, but his solid position in the final standings of the Dakar earned him 15 points as the sixth best W2RC entrant, which puts him behind Álvarez and Ten Brinke in the provisional ranking, with 19 points, just ahead of "Nani" Roma. Vladimir Vasilyev is tenth, with 14 points, 10 of which come from his place in the overall. Proof, if any were needed, that consistent drivers who rank high in the final standings will be rewarded in the Championship even if they do not snap up points every day. The opposite also holds true: a driver like Loeb can make up for an off day by going on the attack and racking up points on the following days.

Six constructors have entered the W2RC in the car category. Toyota grabbed 80 points in the Dakar thanks to Al-Attiyah and Al-Rajhi placing their Hiluxes on the podium of the race. BRX and X-raid Mini JCW are already vying for second place with 45 points apiece. MD Rallye Sport lies fourth (25 points), the Overdrive OT3 fifth (16 points) and PH Sport sixth (14 points).

The W2RC regulations give co-drivers the attention that they deserve. A title will be awarded at the end of the season to make sure that everyone in the cockpit gets their dues. In this regard, it will come as no surprise that the navigators wrapped up the Dakar with the same number of points as the drivers at their side. However, crew changes during the season and co-drivers who take up "gigs" with other co-drivers will lead to divergences in the two classifications. Mathieu Baumel and Fabian Lurquin are deadlocked at the top of this ranking.

LIGHTWEIGHT PROTOTYPES (T3s): "CHALECO" TURNS THE TABLES AT THE FINISH

Seth Quintero bounced back from a heart-breaking mechanical to chalk up one stage win after another and limit the damage in the Championship, with 55 points gained over the course of the Dakar. However, he had to settle for just 8 points at the finish, a drop in the ocean compared to the 50 points that went to Dakar T3 winner "Chaleco"! The South Racing / Can-Am captain collected 50 points in one fell swoop to rocket up the ranking and finish the first round of the W2RC with 88 points on his account. Quintero's teammate in the Red Bull Off Road Junior Team, Cristina Gutiérrez, is second with 73 points. Quintero himself is third with 63.
Santiago Navarro lies fourth with 38 points, followed by Thomas Bell and Camelia Liparoti (Yamaha), both with 25. Another woman, Dania Akeel from Saudi Arabia, is seventh with 17 points, one more than Lionel Costes A total of fifteen drivers scored points.
Among the co-drivers, Juan Pablo Latrach Vinagre (88 points) leads the T3 competition ahead of François Cazalet (73 points) and Dennis Zenz (63 points).

T4s: CONSISTENCY PAYS DIVIDENDS TOO

Austin Jones did not pick up a single stage win in the SSV category this year. The South Racing / Can-Am factory driver mimicked the strategy put in place by "Chaleco" in the T3 race and chose substance over style. It proved to be the right decision, as he won the Dakar in the T4 category and now leads the World Championship thanks to the 50-point jackpot awarded to the top-ranked W2RC entrant in the race. The American boasts 83 points to Marek Goczał and Rokas Baciuška's 68.
Michał Goczał (57 points) is just outside the podium after the first round, followed by Rodrigo Luppi de Oliveira (49 points), Aron Domżała (34 points) and Lucas del Río and Gael Queralt (both 10 points).
Among the navigators, Gustavo Gugelmin (83 points) has a certain margin over Łukasz Łaskawiec and Oriol Mena (both 68 points).

T5s: A CLASH OF TITANS

The Championship regulations are clear: drivers have to finish the round to receive the points gained during the stages. Only two T5 W2RC entrants were still in the race by the time the rally got to Jeddah. Martin Macík collected a mammoth 108 points, an amount worthy of his titan-like Big Shock Racing truck.
Kees Koolen is second with 86 points. It is all to play for, as the two juggernauts have become used to divvying up the biggest hauls on offer.
In the truck category, the Czech duo of Tomášek and Švanda have 108 points to De Graaff and Van Uden's 86.

MOTORBIKES

16 bikers signed up for the W2RC in the RallyGP category. Credit where credit is due: Sunderland leads the Championship with 38 points, ahead of Quintanilla with 30 and the reigning world champion, Walkner, with 24. Adrien Van Beveren, runner-up to Walkner in 2021 and fourth in the Dakar, picked up 20. The competition is still wide open after the first round of the 2022 season. Kevin Benavides is dead last, with a single point to his name, after his engine gave up the ghost in stage 10 of the Dakar.
Honda can find solace in the constructor ranking after letting the Dakar title slip away. It now tops the leader board after placing its four motorbikes in the top 10. The Japanese maker has accumulated 47 points, while GasGas got 38 exclusively from Sunderland's performance. KTM is nipping at their heels with 36, while Sherco is fourth with 14, one length ahead of Hero with 13 and Husqvarna with 9.
In the Rally2 competition, Mason Klein holds the pole position in the battle for the World Cup with 38 points to Camille Chapelière's 30. Bradley Cox spent many days in second place, but a crash sent him plummeting down the standings. Alfie's son is fifth with 17 points. Another Frenchman, Romain Dumontier, is third with 24 points, while Jan Brabec is fourth with 20.
In the fight for the Junior title, Mason Klein (38 points) will come up against Bradley Cox (30 points) and Konrad Dąbrowski (24 points). Jean-Loup Lepan (20 points), Mike Wiedemann (17 points) and Leonardo Tonelli (15 points) are also favourites, bringing the number of promising young riders up to six.
In the quad competition, Alexandre Giroud leads the World Cup ahead of Francisco Moreno, Kamil Wiśniewski, Zdeněk Tůma, Carlos Alejandro Verza, Marcelo Medeiros and Nicolás Robledo Serna.

Next up in the W2RC, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, scheduled for 5 to 10 March.

Source: ASO
Photo: ASO/Charly Lopez

The World Championships are in full swing. The six stages held so far have begun to force a selection between the entrants and crews who signed up for the five rounds of the 2022 season (full list available on the W2RC website). Next up are the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in March, the Rally Kazakhstan in April, the Andalucía Rally in June and the Rallye du Maroc in October.
As expected, the Dakar leaders, starting with Nasser Al-Attiyah in the car category (T1), are on the right track to harvest a bumper crop of points at the end of the race (points scale available on the FIA website). Although several competitors are no longer in contention for the Dakar title, some continue to vigorously hunt points, chief among them Seth Quintero, who is racking up one stage win after another in the T3 category.
The first FIM World Championship Points will not be awarded until the end of the Dakar, but the first trends are beginning to emerge among the movers and shakers who will be ahead of the pack once this first round is over. Sam Sunderland, the leader at the halfway point, has laid down a tentative marker, while a handful of young Rally2 bikers are showing that they too have what it takes to fight for the title that is also at stake in their category. Young American Mason Klein is already setting the tone.

CARS: THE GAME IS ON BETWEEN AL-ATTIYAH AND LOEB

Seeing Toyota Gazoo Racing's Nasser Al-Attiyah perched at the top of the standings by a wide margin was the logical outcome of the events of the first week, but his lead in the W2RC is much smaller. The Qatari has 20 points, 2 more than Sébastien Loeb, while Overdrive Racing's Yazeed Al-Rajhi (14 points) has picked up enough places of honour to be considered a serious threat.

While their aim may not be to go head to head with the boss of the competition, several drivers racing for private teams will be seeking to play their cards right in certain episodes of the series. Mathieu Serradori and his Century buggy, for example, opened their account thanks to their stage 5 performance (third among the W2RC entrants). Chasing the same objective is Guerlain Chicherit (GCK), who scored a near-miss on the same day. X-raid Mini's Jakub Przygoński, MD Rallye Sport Optimus, Pierre Lachaume and Jean-Rémy Bergounhe could also pull it off.

Constructor standings, based on the points earned by the top two drivers in each team who have entered the W2RC, are calculated after each round. Toyota seems poised to take the lion's share, with BRX not too far behind, not least because "Orly" Terranova supplemented Sébastien Loeb's performance with a stage win and proved that he is an asset to the Hunters on the same level as "Nani" Roma.

LIGHTWEIGHT PROTOTYPES / T3: LOSER TAKES ALL

Out of the running for the overall title in Jeddah since his withdrawal in stage 2, Seth Quintero has turned to the hunt for W2RC points. The American is doing a superb job in his new quest, gobbling up all the specials held so far except the one that knocked him out of contention. He already has 25 points to his name. Meanwhile, "Chaleco", who made the transition to the same category in 2022 with Can-Am South Racing, is a mere 3 points behind. Cristina Gutiérrez stands on the provisional podium with 14 points, just ahead of his Red Bull Off Road Junior Team stablemate, Guillaume De Mevius, with 9.

Further back, seventeen entrants have earned points so far, including Philippe Pinchedez, who grabbed some thanks to his first podium finish. They will be stepping into the fray for the podium in Morocco. Prestigious teams such as PH Racing, X-raid Yamaha, FN Speed and Buggyra ZM Racing will only get stronger as the season progresses.

In the constructor standings, Overdrive is in the pole position thanks to its OT3s driven by Quintero, Gutiérrez, De Mevius and Mikkelsen, but the ambitious Can-Ams of South Racing, Pinch Racing, FN Speed and Sebastian Guyasamin, the PH-Sport Zephyrs and the X-raid Yamahas should not be counted out.

SSVs / T4: WHEN IT'S NOT ONE GOCZAŁ IT'S THE OTHER

If the W2RC had a family ranking, the Goczałs would almost have it in the bag by now. The Polish brothers racing for Cobant-Energylandia have already grabbed two Dakar stage wins each, along with the W2RC points that come with them… but pooling their scores is not an option! This benefits South Racing Can-Am's Rodrigo Luppi de Oliveira. While the Brazilian has only won a single stage, he has finished on the podium on two other occasions, good enough to move into the lead of the championship with 20 points.

Austin Jones has shown a similar level of consistency and is tied with Michał Goczał in second place with 18 points apiece. Marek is hot on their heels in fourth place, with 17 points, followed by Rokas Baciuška with 9 and, finally, Aron Domżała with 8. The other two pretenders to the crown, South Racing's Lucas del Río and FN Speed's Gaël Gueralt, will soon join this fratricidal war between Can-Ams.

TRUCKS / T5: MACÍK ON THE RIGHT TRACK

As a result of the amendments to the FIA regulations that came into force this year, trucks are now a fully-fledged category whose winner will be awarded a title at the end of the championship. Five pioneering crews have thrown their hat into the ring. Big Shock Racing, with Martin Macík at the helm, has thrown the kitchen sink at the competition with a total of three trucks. The Czech boss is leading by example. He has accumulated 28 points, while his Dutch brother in arms, Kees Koolen, is close behind with 22.

MOTORBIKES: WALKNER WELL PLACED FOR REPEAT VICTORY

The FIM regulations for the motorbikes diverge from their FIA counterparts when it comes to awarding points. Bikers do not get bonus points at the end of each stage. Why? To avoid incentivising them to chase places of honour at the expense of their race management, in line with the original ethos of the sport, which rewards endurance over raw speed in the motorbike category, making the race safer for the competitors who are exposed to the gravest danger in the event of a crash. Therefore, no points will be awarded until the finish of the first leg of the W2RC.

Attempting to predict the odds of success of the riders of the six constructors in the W2RC is a fool's errand, but the reigning world champion, KTM's Matthias Walkner, has been proving for a week that he is in a position to defend his crown. "Hiasi" is sitting in second place overall, sandwiched between the two official GasGas bikers. The Spanish maker stands to take the bulk of the points up for grabs for the constructor standings. Yet Honda's four riders still in the race, KTM's "dream team" of three former Dakar champions and Sherco's "Santo", ready to pounce on any opportunity, all have a real shot at scoring big for their teams. Hero also showed that it is a force to be reckoned with as Joaquim Rodrigues claimed the Indian outfit's maiden win. Xavier de Soultrait, riding a Husqvarna, and Martin Michek, on a KTM, are holding up well among the works riders and are worth keeping an eye on.

Rally 2 bikers, automatically included in the competition by the FIM to drum up interest in the sport, will also see their standings take shape once the Dakar is over. It is a way for them to catch the attention of the factories and media, as well as potential sponsors, which they need to raise the funds needed to climb up the ladder. Mason Klein is being touted as the big favourite to win in Rally 2. The 20-year-old American is comfortably in control, ahead of fellow rookie Bradley Cox. Camille Chapelière, top Frenchman and 22nd overall in his Dakar debut in 2021, is breathing down the neck of Alfie Cox's son. Two other Dakar newcomers, the experienced Paolo Lucci and Romain Dumontier, the former enduro racer with ten EnduroGP seasons under his belt (or should we say belt bag), are also keen to crash the party.

QUADS: GIROUD AND COPETTI IN PRIME POSITION

In the quad competition, Manuel Andújar, runner-up in the 2021 World Cup after winning every leg bar the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, which he did not enter, was hoping to win back his crown at the end of the season. Yet the Argentinian's withdrawal in stage 6 means that the first round of his World Cup campaign was a big flop. Giroud, Copetti and Maksimov, currently leading the Dakar, look set to divvy up the first points at the end of the first leg!

•  The 2022 season marks a turning point for rally-raids with the inception of World Championships consisting of the same five races for the FIA and FIM. After the show gets on the road with the start of the Dakar in Jeddah, the competition will head to Abu Dhabi in March, Kazakhstan in April, Andalusia in June and Morocco in October.
• As soon as the news came out, the constructors with skin in the game jumped in to set the stage for this melodrama and a clash featuring the greatest champions. Expect to see a close-run and unpredictable competition in both the car and the motorbike categories.
• A total of 53 crews representing 6 constructors have already signed up for the FIA World Championship, while 15 bikers riding for 6 constructors have thrown their hats into the ring for the FIM World Championship.

The stage is set for a mammoth battle. Most of the contenders on the start line of the 44th edition of the Dakar are taking up a challenge for the entire 2022 season in the hopes of claiming the world champion title at the end of the five rounds on the programme. In the car category, the four main teams will fight for the crown while some independent teams could manage to get some interesting results. The leading Dakar constructors are banking on their champions, starting with Nasser Al-Attiyah, who has won the competition five times in the "World Cup" format. Remarkably consistent throughout the season, the Qatari will face stiff competition from the likes of Sébastien Loeb, who has a shot at what would be his tenth FIA world championship after racking up nine consecutive WRC titles between 2004 and 2012. The concept of this serialised competition has also convinced his BRX teammate Joan "Nani" Roma to give it a go. Other rock-solid candidates such as Toyota's Yazeed Al-Rajhi and X-Raid's Jakub Przygoński have also picked up the gauntlet. Certain outsiders unused to shining throughout the season will now be in a position to take the fight to the favourites. This role is the perfect fit for drivers such as Mathieu Serradori and his SRT Racing buggies, as well as MD Rallye Sport's Jean-Rémy Bergounhe and Guerlain Chicherit, who is back behind the wheel and, perhaps, back in business.

A look at the start list for the motorbike category also promises full-blown battles packed with emotions. Basking in the glow of his 2021 Dakar victory, KTM's Kevin Benavides will be a man to watch, but his favourite status could be put in doubt as soon as January, not least by his teammate Matthias Walkner, the 2015 and 2021 world champion, but also by the other former Dakar winners riding Austrian motorbikes, Toby Price and Sam Sunderland. It goes without saying that Honda will also be in the mix, with Ricky Brabec as a dependable asset, but also with his new stablemate at the Japanese constructor, Pablo Quintanilla, who already tasted glory in 2016 and 2017. A strong performance on the Saudi tracks and dunes will be required to avoid being knocked out of contention in the first round.

The desire to hold jousts year-round has a lot to do with the champions, but rally raids also whet the appetite of private structures that race on the same terrain and also come out all guns blazing. The T3 and T4 categories have all the ingredients for a competition in which amateurs sometimes carry the day. For example, among the lightweight prototypes, Cristina Gutiérrez (OT3-Red Bull) and "Chaleco" López (CanAm-South Racing) will have to keep a close eye on candidates such as Jean-Luc Pisson (PH-Sport) and Annett Fisher (Yamaha), who intend to go the distance for all 5 rounds. Among the SSVs, Austin Jones (CanAm-South Racing) will also have his work cut out for him, with drivers such as the Italian Eugenio Amos and the young Lithuanian Rokas Baciuška snapping at his heels in equivalent machines.

Finally, the launch of this new formula has given FIA the opportunity to create a separate category for trucks, for which new regulations have been devised. Two teams will be leading the charge and building momentum for the competition: Big Shock Racing Team, spearheaded by Czech Martin Macík, and Fesh-Fesh Team, with Albert Llovera at the helm.

Source ASO

FIM Bajas World Cup 2022 Provisional Calendar

FIM revelead the provisional callendar for the 2022 FIM Bajas World Cup that should be made by the following races:

Date FMNR Event Venue Country
17-19 February - RMCJ Jordan Baja - Aqaba - Jordan
24 -26 February - QMMF Qatar Intl. Baja - Doha - Qatar
06-08 May - FMP Baja do Oeste - Torres Vedras - Portugal
22-23 July - RFME Baja Aragon - Teruel - Spain
04-07 August - MAMS Hungarian Baja - Varpalota - Hungary
29-31 August - FMC Atacama Baja 1 - Iquique - Chile
01-02 September - FMC Atacama Baja 2 - Iquique - Chile
27-29 October - FMP Baja Portalegre - Portalegre - Portugal
10-12 November - SAMF Saudi Baja * - Tbc - Saudi Arabia
01-03 December - EMSO Dubai Intl. Baja - Dubai - United Arab Emirate

Format:
•A Series of nine Events around the world. Each with a scoring coefficient of 1(*).
•The Final of the Series with a scoring coefficient of 2 ().
•The Final is open to all competitors, but in order to have a chance of being ranked in the FIM Bajas World Cup classification, competitors must have finished at least one of the nine previous Events of the Series and scored points in it. Those competitors will be eligible for the FIM Bajas World Cup Title.

Final Standings of the FIM Bajas World Cup
•The final classification of the Bajas World Cup will be established on the basis of the two best results in the FIM Bajas World Cup Series in addition with the points awarded in the Final.
•This is valid in all three categories (Motorbikes, Quads and SSV) and in all three classes (Women's, Junior and Veteran).

Safety:
For the entire course, the wearing of a waistcoat or airbag jacket is compulsory. The airbag system must comply with FIM standards.

Source FIM
Photo Rally-Raid Network

Following an e-vote by the members of the World Motor Sport Council, the calendar for the inaugural FIA World Rally-Raid Championship - the seventh World Championship under the governance of the FIA - is confirmed

The five-round FIA World Rally-Raid Championship is launched with the famous Dakar Rally, which next year will take the contenders back to Saudi Arabia for an epic 14-day adventure in the spectacular sand and dunes of the Empty Quarter. The Championship remains in the Middle East for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge before heading to central Asia and Kazakhstan, where the arid scrublands and deserts of the world’s largest landlocked country provide another different challenge. Rally Andalucia marks the World Championship’s visit to Europe, while Rallye du Maroc on the African continent rounds out the inaugural season with its wide range of technical, fast and sandy tracks, as well as dunes.

Working in partnership with A.S.O. - the new exclusive promoter of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship - the calendar has been established together with the FIA to harmonise with the FIA Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, ensuring competitors a diverse and cohesive calendar for the discipline.

Jean Todt, FIA President, said:

“Following the announcement of the partnership with A.S.O. for the promotion of the new FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, I am delighted to see another big milestone confirmed today with the series’ inaugural calendar. To count the Dakar Rally as the curtain opener is a genuine transition and a great achievement. We can even talk about a revolution, as new energies are being introduced. Motor sport competition is a laboratory as we constantly strive to develop “clean cars”. From a sporting perspective, this leaves room for creativity and imagination.”

Yann Le Moënner, CEO of Amaury Sport Organisation, said:

“While the discipline is getting structured, it’s the start of a virtuous cycle to drive the energy transition and achieve "zero emissions" by 2030. The creation of the T1-Ultimate class is the foundation stone of the building: pioneer vehicles will set out to conquer the Saudi desert with alternative technologies, opening the way for all the manufacturers who are maturing their projects. We want to give this medium-term strategy a sustained pace, while setting realistic deadlines.”
 

Source: FIA

Following a proposal by the FIA Cross-Country Rally Commission, the World Motor Sport Council has voted electronically to approve the calendar for the 2022 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.

2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas - Baja Esoana Aragon - Y. Al Rajhi Yazeed/M. Orr, Toyota Hilux Overdrive (DPPI Media / Paulo Maria)
Next year, the series will take in eight rounds across Europe and the Middle East, with the calendar and event locations aligned with the newly created FIA World Rally-Raid Championship to facilitate logistics and provide a wide-ranging and challenging season on a number of surfaces for competitors across the discipline.

The 2022 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas is confirmed as follows:

11-13 Februar - RUS -Baja Russia - Northern Forest
17-19 Februar - JOR - Jordan Baja*
08-10 July - ITA - Italian Baja*
22-24 July - ESP - Baja Spain
02-04 September  - POL - Baja Poland
28-30 October - PRT - Baja Portalegre
10-12 November - SAU - Saudi Baja*
01-03 December - ARE - Dubai International Baja*
* Subject to confirmation by the ASN
 
The calendars for the regional Cross-Country Baja Cups will be confirmed at the forthcoming World Motor Sport Council Meeting in Paris on December 15.

Source FIA
Photo Rally-Raid Network