2022 Dakar Rally
The 2022 Dakar Rally was a rally raid event held in Saudi Arabia and the 44th edition of the Dakar Rally organized by Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). The event took place between 1–14 January 2022. This was the third time Saudi Arabia had hosted the event, with support from the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation. The race started in Ha'il and ended in Jeddah, going through canyons and cliffs in the Neom region, passing by the Red Sea coastline, into the stretches of dunes surrounding Riyadh, with a lot more action on sand dunes in the Empty Quarter. The route consisted of one prologue stage and 12 normal stages, with one rest day in Riyadh on 8 January.
| 2022 Dakar Rally | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Dakar Rally
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| Host country | Saudi Arabia | ||
| Dates run | 1–14 January 2022 | ||
| Start | Ha'il | ||
| Finish | Jeddah | ||
| Stages | 12 | ||
| Stage surface | Sand, rocks, dirt, tarmac | ||
| Results | |||
| Cars winner | Nasser Al-Attiyah Mathieu Baumel Toyota Gazoo Racing | ||
| Bikes winner | Sam Sunderland Gas Gas Factory Team | ||
| Quads winner | Alexandre Giroud Yamaha Racing - SMX - Drag'On | ||
| Light prototypes winner | Francisco Lopez Contardo Juan Pablo Latrach Vinagre EKS - South Racing | ||
| UTVs winner | Austin Jones Gustavo Gugelmin Can-Am Factory South Racing | ||
| Trucks winner | Dmitry Sotnikov Ruslan Akhmadeev Ilgiz Akhmetzianov Kamaz-Master | ||
| Classics winner | Serge Mogno Florent Drulhon Team FSO | ||
When ASO signed the five-year deal with Saudi Arabia, there was a first-year exclusivity clause. Since it has expired, more countries could have been added to the route. However, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, a decision has been made to remain entirely within Saudi Arabia.
In 2021, the FIA World Motor Sport Council granted full World Championship status to the FIA's cross-country rallying discipline. On 5 December 2021, the FIA and FIM jointly combined both of their cross-country rally championships to form the World Rally-Raid Championship, which is co-sponsored by both organizations. The 2022 Dakar Rally served as the first event in the inaugural championship calendar.