Stéphane Peterhansel has done it! Assisted by his new co-pilot Édouard Boulanger, on the last special the Frenchman has withstood the attacks from the duo of Nasser Al-Attiyah and Matthieu Baumel to obtain his eighth overall triumph on the Dakar in the car category and his 14th title overall on the most prestigious of rally-raids. What’s more, “Mister Dakar” has triumphed 30 years after his first crown on a bike in 1991.
Incredible drive from Peterhansel in his X-Raid Mini to take his 8th Dakar title in the cars and his 14th overall. He finished 3rd on today’s final stage into Jeddah, more than comfortably retaining his overall lead by almost 15 minutes over Nasser Al-Attiyah in the SA-built Hilux, and an hour clear of his Mini teammate Carlos Sainz in third placed overall.
For the Saffers on the final days’ short stage…
Highlights of todays’ Stage 12 in the Cars:
Yanbu > Jeddah: 200 km Special / 447 km Total
A fairly uneventful run down the coast to Jeddah today, to bring the 2021 Dakar Rally to a close. All 3 remaining South African teams brought their cars home safely and pretty much retained their standings from yesterday.
SA Dakar Competitors after Stage 12 (Final):
Pos
Change
Driver Co-Driver
Vehicle
Total Time
Diff to Leader
8
=
Giniel de Villiers Alex Haro Bravo
Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux
48:25:50
+03:57:39
21
=
Shameer Variawa Dennis Murphy
Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux
53:10:50
+08:42:39
32
+1
Brain Baragwanath Taye Perry
Century Racing CR6
57:25:58
+12:57:47
DNF
—
Henk Lategan Brett Cummings
Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux
To end off, a nice little insert to highlight the impressive helicopter pilots, the aerial camera crews that bring the awesome Dakar visuals to our screens, and the crucial medical support helicopters:
For some reason we missed the last Dakar Rally (or did we create a separate topic for it somewhere?) Either way, it’s time for Dakar 2023 again with the Race Prologue event being run today.
The 2023 Dakar Rally takes place entirely in Saudia Arabia again, and runs from 31 December to 15 January.
Starting on a Sea Camp on the shores of the Red Sea and ending on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula, where the competitors will discover the coast of the Arabian Gulf after a four-day adventure through the Empty Quarter, including the marathon stage, the 45th edition of the Dakar is the toughest one since the rally came to Saudi Arabia. Packing almost 5,000 kilometres of specials into a prologue and 14 stages, the route is a true test of extreme endurance.
Sea Camp > Sea Camp | Liaison: 0 km + Special: 13 km
The 45th edition [of the Dakar Rally] got under way on the Red Sea coast near Yanbu, which hosted a 13 km prologue on a winding sandy track packed for the occasion. As a former enduro rider and a former track racer, respectively, Toby Price and Mattias Ekström had good reason to salivate at the course, which started and ended at the entrance to the Sea Camp.
Sunday, 01 January 2023 Sea Camp > Sea Camp | 601 km (Liaison: 234 km + Special: 367 km)
The contrast between the prologue on the beach and the first stage of the 2023 Dakar could not be starker. Today’s special followed the outline of the coast from 30 km inland on its way to Yanbu and beyond. The entire field was on high alert in the first part of the 368 km course, featuring the scattered rocky sections where Sam Sunderland crashed out of the race. From there on, the faster stretches between valleys and sandy tracks enabled Carlos Sainz and Daniel Sanders to let their raw speed do the talking. As a reward for their efforts, the drivers, riders and crews are taking the coastal route back to the Sea Camp for more than 200 km.
Monday, 02 January 2023 Sea Camp > Alula | 588 km (Liaison: 158 km + Special: 430 km)
After leaving the Sea Camp where the Dakar had been based for a long weekend, the riders, drivers and crews headed into the inner reaches of Saudi Arabia, where they were confronted with the morning coolness and terrain that was still damp. The day’s expedition included a part that was synonymous with racing in the mountains, requiring the competitors to tackle narrow tracks and climb up to an altitude of 1,300 metres through a pass at the midway point of the stage. Even though the weather conditions modified the expected nature of the ground under the wheels, making it stonier and trickier, a young man who is growing up quickly, Mason Klein, won in the bike category where many more experienced competitors in the car category, such as Loeb, Chicherit and Peterhansel encountered problems, though not Al Attiyah, the day’s winner.
Tuesday, 03 January 2023 Alula > Ha’il | 668 km (Liaison: 221 km + Special: 447 km)
16:18 - Due to the degradation in weather conditions during the afternoon, the organisers have taken the decision to stop the vehicles that are still on the special after 240 kilometres, at one of the refuelling points on the day’s special. The competitors are now heading for the bivouac in Ha’il by road.
Today, the Dakar navigated through lands steeped in history, setting off from one of the centres of Nabatean civilisation on the way to Ha’il, which was a crossroads of commercial routes linking Europe to Asia. For the Dakar riders, drivers and crews, who had to tackle sometimes torrential weather conditions through the majestic canyons surrounding the sandy and sometimes rocky tracks, the challenge also involved having the capacity to focus on navigation where many criss-crossing tracks made it easy to get confused. Daniel Sanders proved to be a master at this game, displaying perfect regularity to win a fourth stage on the Dakar, just like Guerlain Chicherit, who began his roll of honour in 2006! Heavy rain shortened the stage to 377 kilometres for many of the riders, drivers and crews.
With Brabec and Sunderland both out already, the race to be the 2023 Dakar Bike Champion is wide open. Also, desert rainstorms and flash floods are no joke! This looked genuinely frightening.
Wednesday, 04 January 2023 Ha’il > Ha’il | 573 km (Liaison: 148 km + Special: 425 km)
The fourth stage of the Dakar took place at altitude, with a profile that never dropped below 800 metres and sometimes climbed up to 1,300 metres. The cool weather accompanied the riders, drivers and crews on this 425 km long loop to the west of Ha’il. The previous day’s rain significantly changed the nature of the terrain, but not the beauty of the canyons and plateaux visited by the route of the day’s special. Tricky navigation in places was one of the challenges as were the dunes that made a plentiful appearance on the day’s programme. They were expertly managed by Joan Barreda, while Sébastien Loeb won by a whisker ahead of Stéphane Peterhansel in the car category.
For those of you that don’t watch every highlights reel on YouTube, do yourselves a favour and watch this one and day 3’s. There is some amazing footage from all classes racing. Seriously some of the best camera work I’ve seen on any rally.
Thursday, 05 January 2023 643 km (Liaison: 270 km + Special: 373 km)
The exploration of the region around Ha’il continued with a journey south of the city, following a route for a special that was 100% sand, where long stretches of off-road driving forced the competitors to use their navigational skills. Their prowess in reading the roadbook also came into play when selecting choices of direction made tricky by the recent rain on the terrain. Adrien Van Beveren’s stage win was precisely built on such qualities, whilst Nasser Al Attiyah especially focused on his driving skill on sand to taste victory, perhaps the two keys to success on the Dakar!
Includes a short insert featuring South African rider Kirsten Landman who is doing her 2nd Dakar. This year she is competing in the Original by Motul (aka Moto Malle) class - bike riders who take on the Dakar challenge as solo riders: no team vehicles, no support crew, minimal spare parts, no assistance.
Friday, 06 January 2023 918 km (Liaison: 560 km + Special: 358 km)
Early report from today’s stage with bad news for Peterhansel, Sainz, and Team Audi Sport:
Stéphane Peterhansel has had an accident after 212 km of the day’s special. His co-pilot Edouard Boulanger has been injured by the impact leaving him with pain in the back. He has been evacuated by the Dakar medical team to the hospital in Buraydah to undergo further examinations. Mister Dakar’s Audi team-mate Carlos Sainz also suffered an accident at the same place. The team is unharmed and is waiting to repair their vehicle before attempting to resume the race.
It was a special shortened to 357 kilometres that the riders, drivers and crews on the Dakar tackled, setting off to the southeast of Ha’il. The ultra-sandy programme, made slightly easier by the rain that had modified the solidity of the ground, allowed the riders, drivers and crews to get through the stage without too many mishaps, but the dunes held some nasty surprises in store when they were tackled without due caution. Even with the experience of Stéphane Peterhansel and Carlos Sainz, it is possible to come unstuck! The former’s co-pilot ended up in hospital, the latter’s car ended up in the workshop, with both losing their hopes of winning another Dakar this year. However, the day’s terrain was expertly tamed by Luciano Benavides on his bike and Nasser Al Attiyah, who now has a sandy boulevard before him.
Saturday, 07 January 2023 861 km (Liaison: 528 km + Special: 333 km)
More heavy overnight rain and the race organisers have elected to cancel the Special Stage for Bikes and Quads for safety of the riders.
07:56 - Only the cars and trucks will take the start of stage 7 today. A special stretching for 333 km awaits the competitors in the two categories. In the first part, the drivers and co-drivers will have to slalom between canyons and valleys, while the second part of the course alternates between fast and slow, with a few stony passages where punctures are a real hazard. The home straight is peppered with dunes.
The bikers and quad riders took the shortest route from Riyadh to Al Duwadimi, a road section nearly 500 kilometres long, with no rain this time round. Meanwhile, a bit further south, the car and truck drivers went head to head in a special tailored to the masters of trajectories and changes of pace. The wily desert foxes came out on top on a course that alternated from sand to stones and from canyons to wadis. For once, the co-drivers were left with the burden of solving the navigation conundrum from scratch, without the clues left by the bikers. The scenario played into the hands of the lightning-fast Yazeed Al Rajhi, who posted the fastest time after starting from far back.
Sunday, 08 January 2023 823 km (Liaison: 476 km + Special: 346 km)
The final challenge before the rest day left no room for error. The loop south of Al Duwadimi, originally scheduled for the day before, was shortened to 345 kilometres to give the entire field time to take the long road section leading to the bivouac in Riyadh. Before that, the competitors wrestled with the devilish navigation of the stage, both on the gravel tracks at the start of the special and in the sequence of valleys and chains of dunes in the finale. The gruelling course took a heavy toll on the bikers tasked with opening the road, even with the time bonuses awarded to the first three. Ross Branch pounced on the opportunity to claim victory, as did Sébastien Loeb, but it is Skyler Howes and Nasser Al Attiyah who are in charge at the halfway point.
At the halfway point of the rally, today (Monday 9 January) is a rest day for the competitors.
Tuesday, 10 January 2023 686 km (Liaison: 328 km + Special: 358 km)
The day that racing resumed also coincided with a new geographical direction. The Dakar competitors are set to tackle the southeast quarter of Saudi Arabia, with the dunes of the Empty Quarter in their sights, which are likely to be determining in the outcome of the 2023 edition.
In the meantime, the riders, drivers and crews had not totally left behind them the zone recently drenched by rain but did battle among dunes that were more accessible … though only if they showed them the necessary respect! Two major players who were caught out were Joan Barreda and Carlos Sainz, both injured, but fortunately not seriously, at the very start of the stage. For the remaining fighters, it was necessary to deal with complex navigation choices and steering between wadis that were sometimes abundantly filled.
This sort of terrain was perfectly suited to Luciano Benavides in the bike race and Sébastien Loeb, the two quickest men over the 359 km of the day’s special.
A roll for Sainz and car troubles for Lategan as the field moves inland into the “real” desert. Tomorrow is a short Special leading to the challenge on Thursday and Friday: the Marathon Stage days through the formidable Empty Quarter - expect more changes to the leader boards.
Wednesday, 11 January 2023 642 km (Liaison: 510 km + Special: 114 km)
Early news today is that, after the damage to his car proved too heavy to repair overnight, Carlos Sainz Snr. has withdrawn his Audi from the Dakar and will not resume the event.
Sheesh… I drove just over a thousand kilometres in one day while on holiday. I would hate to know what these guys have been enduring out there on gruelling terrain. Been enjoying watching these highlights, thanks @GregRedd.
