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One of the biggest off-road racing events is set to kick off this Saturday in Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain’s team is gearing up to shine once again at the Dakar Rally 2022.
The Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX) team recently completed an extensive test of their Prodrive Hunter T1+ in the UAE and will be competing against the world’s top off-roaders during the 8,300-km race. It will kick off Saturday and end on January 14, 2022.
“2021 was our Dakar debut and we have learnt a great deal from that about what it takes to win the most arduous motor race in the world,” said BRX team principal Gus Beteli.
“Having a strong, reliable and fast car is clearly important, but equally so is navigation. The driver and co-driver have to work as a team, and in-car communication is key. The test gave them plenty of time to work on these skills.”
This year’s route is 70 per cent new compared to last year, and will be run in 12 stages.
It will be the first event of the new FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (WR-RC), with points awarded to competitors for each stage.
Following technical and administrative checks in Jeddah, the rally will kick off with a 546-km loop of Ha’il (334km of which will be timed) which will feature large sandy sections.
The first Marathon Stage, a 585-km test (Timed - 339km) will kick off from Ha’il to Al Artawiyah which will introduce competitors to the dunes for the first time in the event.
Stage three will take the rally from Al Artawiyah to Al Qaisumah in a route totalling 554km (Timed - 368km) before a 707km run (Timed – 465km) to the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Two loops around Riyadh follow one to the southwest - 563km (Timed – 348km) – and another to the west – 635km (Timed – 421km) – of the city with a mixture of rocks and dunes on the agenda.
After a rest day in Riyadh, the rally goes north to Al Dawadimi for a 700km seventh stage (Timed – 401km).
Stage eight totals 828km and stretches from Al Dawadimi to Wadi Ad Dawasir, again featuring a lot of dunes.
A 490km Wadi Ad-Dawasir loop then follows for stage nine before an easier, mainly track-based 757km stage 10 to Bisha, where there will also be another 500km loop for stage 11.
The final stretch to Jeddah will then be held on January 14, with a 676km navigational challenge all the way to the finish.
This year, Saudi Arabia will also have two Saudi women drivers competing in the Rally. Mashael Al Obaidan and Dania Akeel will become the first female rally drivers to compete in the Dakar Rally.
“To drive on this famous event in Saudi is a dream come true,” Al-Obaidan, 33, said. “I’m doing what I love and I’m receiving so much support from people who say that what I am doing is inspiring a lot of people.
“When I finished seventh on the hardest round in the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Bajas series, against competitors who had been competing in the sport for more than 15 years, I knew I could do this.
“I soon realised that I was unlocking doors and breaking down barriers with my achievements. We are paving the way for females to understand the journey we are taking and to join us.”
Akeel, 33, added: “You have got to respect the Dakar. It’s the longest rally on the calendar and Saudi is an incredible location. You can cross 200km and the landscape, terrain and weather can change three or four times.”
