Dakar Rally 2022

Just In Time For Rest Day

Americans Are Carving Their Names into Dakar’s Rich History

Words by Anastasia Leniova
Photos by Rally Zone

Since its inception in 1978, the planet’s pioneer of Rally Raid has been a spectacle of its own class. A standalone championship… But not anymore. The 44th edition of the Dakar Rally officially became the battleground for two accolades across several classes: of course, for the prestigious Dakar crown but also for points in the inaugural five-stage FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (WRRC). Dakar being the first round of the series, and arguably the most important among the events because, with more than six stages, it offers 1.5 times the standard points awarded. Plus, Dakar is the only 12-stage event in the circuit. This year, the most famous event revealed a 7,000-kilometer route over 12 days of special stages from Saudi’s Hail to Jeddah. A whopping 578 teams in the seven classes were signed up on the entry list, however due to Covid-19 not all of them made it to the starting line, to include one America’s hopefuls, Mitch Guthrie Jr. 

The exploding SSV population this year is presented by two classes: seriously upgraded Lightweight Prototypes (or T3 in the WRRC) and standard lightweight vehicles in SSV (or FIA T4 class). The numbers are impressive, a whopping 48 Lightweight Prototypes have made the journey to Saudi Arabia and of them, 20 are in the WRRC. The biggest competition among them is between American driver Seth Quintero and his co-driver Dennis Zenz of the Red Bull Off-Road Jr. Team, Cristina Gutierrez & François Cazalet driving OT3, Guillame de Mevius from the Red Bull Off-Road Team and the PH Sport squad composed of Jean-Luc Pisson & Jean Brucy, Lionel Costes & Christophe Tressens and Marco Carrara & Enrico Gaspari in Zephyr vehicles.

In T4, 47 crews made it to the Prologue, French Xtreme Plus Polaris Team lined up four Polaris RZR Pro X in the SSV category. Eight of the SSV crews enrolled in the FIA Championship including the Can-Am Factory South Racing and Cobant – Energylandia teams. There should’ve been nine, but 2021 WRRC vice-champion Eugenio Amos joined the unlucky group of crews who had to cancel their participation because of a positive Covid-19 test. The Red Bull clan was left with depleted ranks for the same reason, with Tom Colsoul not able to form a crew with newcomer Guillaume De Mevius who tapped American Kellon Walch to co-pilot instead. And American Mitch Guthrie Jr. was replaced with WRC2 and European Rally champion Andreas Mikkelsen.

01/01 – 02/2022 Stages 1A-1B – Big Wins and Big Losses 

A brief qualifying Stage 1A, followed by a 600km liaison determined the grid at the first “real” stage, 1B, on January 2nd. American young gun Seth Quintero and Dennis Zenz started the race with a double, scoring two victories in the first two days, followed by two-time Dakar SSV category winner Francisco Lopez Contardo. His first year in 2021, Quintero, the 18-year-old Californian, became the youngest stage winner in Dakar history and was virtually leading the race for much of it, but gearbox problems saw him stuck on the side of the track waiting for their support truck. The OT3s are fast, but let’s see if they also last this year! 

The whole Red Bull Off-Road Team USA had an impressive performance at Qualifying with four of their vehicles being among the Top Six. After the Stage B1, Polaris crews Michelle and Pietro Cinotto made it to Top 15, breaking in the predominantly Can-Am rows. As the three OT3 remained in the Top Ten as well, de Mevius was forced to stop at kilometer 260 to wait for an assistance truck. You can call it bad luck – until you compare it to Camelia Liparoti’s incident, whose bright pink assistance truck mysteriously burned on the way from Administration and Technical Inspection in Jeddah to the bivouac in Riyadh on the evening of December 31st. Saudi police are still investigating the incident, but the Italian T3 driver left without passport and clothes, only her racing gear and her Dakar “home” [read: caravan], stoically decided to continue the race.

T3 Top Five Stage & Overall Results

1. #303 Quintero (USA)/ Zenz (DEU), RED BULL OFF-ROAD JUNIOR TEAM USA
2. #305 Lopez Contardo (CHL)/ Latrach Vinagre (CHL), EKS – SOUTH RACING
3. #306 Eriksson (SWE)/ Rosegaar (NLD), EKS – SOUTH RACING
4. #312 Lebedev (RUS)/ Shubin (RUS), MSK RALLY TEAM
5. #302 Pinchedez (FRA)/ Gaidella (FRA), PINCH RACING

Over the first two days in T4, the victory passed from one Polish racer to another, with the Goczal brothers occupying the podium on the first day and Aaron Domzala on the second. US driver and 2021 T4 Cross Country Rally Cup World Champion Austin Jones wanted to take it easy in the beginning, finishing Prologue 4th and the first stage in Second. “That’s what we want to do. We want to check our competitors and be in the Top Five. That’s the strategy to keep until the rest day,” Jones’s co-driver Gustavo Gugelmin shared. 

T4 Top Five Stage & Overall Results

1. #402 Domzala (POL)/ Marton (POL), CAN-AM FACTORY SOUTH RACING
2. #401 Jones (USA)/ Gugelmin (BRA), CAN-AM FACTORY SOUTH RACING
3. #415 Luppi de Oliveira (BRA)/ Justo (BRA), SOUTH RACING CAN-AM
4. #416 Farres Guell (ESP)/ Ortega (ESP), CAN-AM FACTORY SOUTH RACING
5. #403 Goczal (POL)/ Gospodarczyk (POL), COBANT-ENERGYLANDIA RALLY TEAM

01/03/2022 Stage 2 – Cut Short, No Marathon Today! 

In the interviews, many racers agree that Stage 2 from Hail to Al Artawiyah would’ve been the perfect marathon stage – not so long, not too hard. But mother nature deemed otherwise, totally flooding the bivouac in Al Artawiyah and forcing organizers to reroute. The 333-kilometer special stage took place as it was supposed to earlier in the day, but upon completion, participants were directed to the next stage bivouac in Al Qaisumah to stay there for two days. Good news for some, as there was no sleeping in tents and the mechanics’ help was allowed. Stage 2 turned out to be a great day for rookie Guillaume de Mevius, whose seven-hour setback the day before and late start didn’t prevent him at all from snatching a win out from under the overall class winner “Chaleco” Lopez – helping his teammate Andreas Mikkelsen change a wheel on the way! Mevius’ other teammate Seth Quintero would have finished first, if not for the unfortunate differential case breaking and leaving him at a standstill 30km before the finish line. The crew had to spend several hours in the cold waiting for the assistance truck to pick them up and only arrived at the bivouac around midnight. Battle for the podium seemed most likely over for Seth after the two consecutive victories, but it’s still possible to get stage wins and score points for the Championship. 

T3 Top Five Stage Results

1. #308 De Mevius (BEL) /Walch (USA), RED BULL OFF-ROAD TEAM USA
2. #305 Lopez Contardo (CHL)/ Latrach Vinagre (CHL), EKS – SOUTH RACING
3. #306 Eriksson (SWE)/ Rosegaar (NLD), EKS – SOUTH RACING
4. #312 Lebedev (RUS)/ Shubin (RUS), MSK RALLY TEAM
5. #301 Gutierrez (ESP)/ Cazalet (FRA), RED BULL OFF-ROAD TEAM USA

In T4, Poland once again reaped the laurels with one of brothers Goczal on the stage’s P1 after they received five minutes back for helping another participant. “It was a perfect day for us. We won the stage, so it’s great emotion today,” Michal Goczal commented. “Near the finish of the stage we drove with Andreas Mikkelsen, and he rolled so we helped them. We lost about five minutes, but it was neutralized. So, we won the stage and we are very happy.” Austin Jones, who came in after them, moving from the First to Second place, consoled himself by waving the American flag in the overall classification and not having to open the stage the next day. It’s the little things…

T4 Top Five Stage Results

1. #403 Goczal (POL)/ Gospodarczyk (POL), COBANT-ENERGYLANDIA RALLY TEAM
2. #401 Jones (USA)/ Gugelmin (BRA), CAN-AM FACTORY SOUTH RACING
3. #415 Luppi de Oliveira (BRA)/ Justo (BRA), SOUTH RACING CAN-AM
4. #414 Baciuska (LTU)/ Mena (ESP), SOUTH RACING CAN-AM
5. #416 Farres Guell (ESP)/ Ortega (ESP), CAN-AM FACTORY SOUTH RACING

01/04/2022 Stage 3 – A Short Course with Wet Sand on the Menu

The route on Day 3 was unfortunately affected by weather as well, and the special stage had to be reduced from 368 to 255 kilometers of mostly wet sand and dunes. The day began a bit poorly the Red Bull Off-Road Team: Andreas Mikkelsen had to resign from the Dakar after his damaged roll cage could not be repaired. “I learned a lot on how Rally Raid works, and it is sad it’s over just when we started to get to grips with it. Now we go back home and focus on Rally Monte Carlo,” Mikkelsen commented on his social media. Yet another stroke of bad luck for the team came with Cristina Gutiérrez grinding to a halt after Stage 3. Unlike Seth Quintero, whose stage win gave him points in the World Championship. But, of course, the talented young racer is still stuck far behind in the overall at the 35th seat. 

T3 Top Five Stage Results

1. #303 Quintero (USA)/ Zenz (DEU), RED BULL OFF-ROAD JUNIOR TEAM USA
2. #305 Lopez Contardo (CHL)/ Latrach Vinagre (CHL), EKS – SOUTH RACING
3. #306 Eriksson (SWE)/ Rosegaar (NLD), EKS – SOUTH RACING
4. #312 Lebedev (RUS)/ Shubin (RUS), MSK RALLY TEAM
5. #335 Guayasamin (ECU)/ Torlaschi (ARG), SEBASTIAN GUYASAMIN

The Polish teams continued their domination in the SSV category, with a double for brothers Goczal in First and Second with Aaron Domzala in Third Place. But it’s still a good run for countryman Austin Jones, who remained in command of the overall classification with a five-minute lead. “We are getting into bigger sand dunes – obviously that’s good. It’s really cold here. The liaisons are not the best time, but that’s Dakar,” Jones shares of his stage impressions. While his co-driver Gugelmin is content with their working strategy of keeping in Top Five every day. 

T4 Top Five Stage Results

1. #410 Goczal (POL)/ Laskawiec (POL), COBANT-ENERGYLANDIA RALLY TEAM
2. #403 Goczal (POL)/ Gospodarczyk (POL), COBANT-ENERGYLANDIA RALLY TEAM
3. #402 Domzala (POL)/ Marton (POL), CAN-AM FACTORY SOUTH RACING
4. #401 Jones (USA)/ Gugelmin (BRA), CAN-AM FACTORY SOUTH RACING
5. #415 Luppi de Oliveira (BRA)/ Justo (BRA), SOUTH RACING CAN-AM

01/04/2022 Stage 3 – A Short Course with Wet Sand on the Menu

The route on Day 3 was unfortunately affected by weather as well, and the special stage had to be reduced from 368 to 255 kilometers of mostly wet sand and dunes. The day began a bit poorly the Red Bull Off-Road Team: Andreas Mikkelsen had to resign from the Dakar after his damaged roll cage could not be repaired. “I learned a lot on how Rally Raid works, and it is sad it’s over just when we started to get to grips with it. Now we go back home and focus on Rally Monte Carlo,” Mikkelsen commented on his social media. Yet another stroke of bad luck for the team came with Cristina Gutiérrez grinding to a halt after Stage 3. Unlike Seth Quintero, whose stage win gave him points in the World Championship. But, of course, the talented young racer is still stuck far behind in the overall at the 35th seat. 

T3 Top Five Stage Results

1. #303 Quintero (USA)/ Zenz (DEU), RED BULL OFF-ROAD JUNIOR TEAM USA
2. #305 Lopez Contardo (CHL)/ Latrach Vinagre (CHL), EKS – SOUTH RACING
3. #306 Eriksson (SWE)/ Rosegaar (NLD), EKS – SOUTH RACING
4. #312 Lebedev (RUS)/ Shubin (RUS), MSK RALLY TEAM
5. #335 Guayasamin (ECU)/ Torlaschi (ARG), SEBASTIAN GUYASAMIN

The Polish teams continued their domination in the SSV category, with a double for brothers Goczal in First and Second with Aaron Domzala in Third Place. But it’s still a good run for countryman Austin Jones, who remained in command of the overall classification with a five-minute lead. “We are getting into bigger sand dunes – obviously that’s good. It’s really cold here. The liaisons are not the best time, but that’s Dakar,” Jones shares of his stage impressions. While his co-driver Gugelmin is content with their working strategy of keeping in Top Five every day. 

T4 Top Five Stage Results

1. #410 Goczal (POL)/ Laskawiec (POL), COBANT-ENERGYLANDIA RALLY TEAM
2. #403 Goczal (POL)/ Gospodarczyk (POL), COBANT-ENERGYLANDIA RALLY TEAM
3. #402 Domzala (POL)/ Marton (POL), CAN-AM FACTORY SOUTH RACING
4. #401 Jones (USA)/ Gugelmin (BRA), CAN-AM FACTORY SOUTH RACING
5. #415 Luppi de Oliveira (BRA)/ Justo (BRA), SOUTH RACING CAN-AM

01/05/2022 Stage 4 – A Long Play in Three Acts

The longest stage of the whole rally (465 kilometers flanked by the 93 and 144 kilometer liaisons) consisted of three parts, according to the race director David Castera. First, 40 kilometers of tricky navigation aimed to give co-pilots a substantial headache. Followed by a dune and a technical section to put the cherry on top. The Lightweight Prototype category faced another victory of the invincible Seth Quintero, with his Red Bull Off-Road teammates OT3s in the stage’s Top Five as well. Sadly though, it’s still not enough to put them in contention for the podium. While comrade Christina Gutierrez still has chances of being Fifth Overall. “Chaleco” Lopez confidently remained in the overall lead, ending at Third on the stage with a 20-minute gap. 

T3 Top Five Stage Results

1. #303 Quintero (USA)/ Zenz (DEU), RED BULL OFF-ROAD JUNIOR TEAM USA
2. #308 De Mevius (BEL)/ Walch (USA), RED BULL OFF-ROAD TEAM USA
3. #305 Lopez Contardo (CHL)/ Latrach Vinagre (CHL), EKS – SOUTH RACING
4. #301 Gutierrez (ESP)/ Cazalet (FRA), RED BULL OFF-ROAD TEAM USA
5. #306 Eriksson (SWE)/ Rosegaar (NLD), EKS – SOUTH RACING

In SSVs, the stage victory remained in the iron grip of the Polish Goczal family, just with Marek handing it over to his brother Michal this time. However in the overall, Jones remained in the lead, followed by his Brazilian contender in just four minutes behind. “The longest stage of the race so far. It was really hard, really fast for the beginning part, lots of big dunes in the middle and then at the end, there were a lot of water crossings and massive rocks that could take you out,” Jones described the stage. “There was a lot of carnage today. A couple of people out there, especially two of my teammates, had issues. That’s a bummer, but we are really happy to be back here because that was rough.” He was talking about his Can-Am Factory South Racing teammate Aaron Domzala, who had started the fourth stage in Sixth Place Overall, but was put out of contention for the podium by a mechanical failure. The drivers had to wait for the assistance truck only to arrive at the bivouac at night. As social media attests, the stage became too fast for many crews, with many pictures of upside down cars posted that night, for instance, some snapshots of Jean-Luc Pisson and Molly Tailor. 

T4 Top Five Stage Results

1. #403 Goczal (POL)/ Gospodarczyk (POL), COBANT-ENERGYLANDIA RALLY TEAM
2. #415 Luppi de Oliveira (BRA)/ Justo (BRA), SOUTH RACING CAN-AM
3. #401 Jones (USA)/ Gugelmin (BRA), CAN-AM FACTORY SOUTH RACING
4. #410 Goczal (POL)/ Laskawiec (POL), COBANT-ENERGYLANDIA RALLY TEAM
5. #414 Baciuska (LTU)/ Mena (ESP), SOUTH RACING CAN-AM

01/06/2022 Stage 5 – Two of Four Left from the Red Bull Off-Road Team

As the Dakar caravan reached Riyadh, the cars and bikes split to race completely different loops around the Saudi Capital with the intention of swapping routes the next day. After the January 6th 421-kilometer special, there was one OT3 less in Red Bull Off-Road Team’s lines. Guillaume de Mevius was no longer fighting for the podium, or possibly not competing at all, because technical issues didn’t allow him to drive smoothly. “A few kilometers after the start of this loop around Riyadh, we hit the camel grass in a fast section,” de Mevius commented. “We were able to complete the stage after four long hours of repairs. However, the arch suffered damage, which does not ensure the safety of our crew.” Luckily, his teammate Christina Gutierrez demonstrated a more sustainable performance, ending up in Top Five both in stage and overall classification, while young Quintero continued his victory marathon, only interrupted with a technical issue on the second stage, scoring his fifth stage victory in this race! However, the more stable South Racing duo of “Chaleco” Lopez and Sebastian Eriksson still held tight to the overall lead, separated by 22 minutes. 

T3 Top Five Stage Results

1. #303 Quintero (USA)/ Zenz (DEU), RED BULL OFF-ROAD JUNIOR TEAM USA
2. #305 Lopez Contardo (CHL)/ Latrach Vinagre (CHL), EKS – SOUTH RACING
3. #306 Eriksson (SWE)/ Rosegaar (NLD), EKS – SOUTH RACING
4. #301 Gutierrez (ESP)/ Cazalet (FRA), RED BULL OFF-ROAD TEAM USA
5. #322 Margaillan (FRA)/ Roux-Decima (FRA), RALLY RAID CONCEPT

In the SSV race, Austin Jones was removed from the leader’s seat by Brazilian Rodrigo Luppi de Oliveira, both behind the wheel of a Can-Am and now separated by four minutes. “I got lost for a little bit. I had some navigation issues and then on top of that, I ended up getting a flat tire driving directly into a rock looking for the road. That lost a little bit of time, but not too much. We came back really well and finished P4. It’s kind of nice not to be on P1 anymore. To have leeway – breathing room basically. And I like to come from behind anyway. We are happy with that. We are not even halfway through. Still a long way to go,” Jones comments optimistically, definitely planning to regain leadership in the second half of the event. 

The stage leader Oliveira is followed by Marek Goczal, of course, Russian 2017 Dakar Quad category winner Sergei Kariakin, Jones and young Lithuanian rookie Rocas Baciuska, who only this year traded rallycross to rally raids and entered Dakar after doing Baja Aragon, Baja Poland and Rallye du Maroc. Xtreme Plus Polaris Factory Team suffered losses at Stage 5 with Michelle Cinotto and Maurizio Dominella being thrown back from the 13th position overall to the end of the standings because of an electrical problem. What a terrible birthday present for the driver!

T4 Top Five Stage Results

1. #415 Luppi de Oliveira (BRA)/ Justo (BRA), SOUTH RACING CAN-AM
2. #410 Goczal (POL)/ Laskawiec (POL), COBANT-ENERGYLANDIA RALLY TEAM
3. #406 Kariakin (RUS)/ Vlasiuk (RUS), SNAG RACING TEAM
4. #401 Jones (USA)/ Gugelmin (BRA), CAN-AM FACTORY SOUTH RACING
5. #414 Baciuska (LTU)/ Mena (ESP), SOUTH RACING CAN-AM

01/07/2022 Stage 6 – The Equator

Today, the cars started early in the morning to repeat yesterday’s loop as the last effort before the one and only “break” – if you could call it that. Participants had one day to refresh their equipment, train and fulfill media obligations in Riyadh before taking on the second half of, arguably, the hardest off-road race on Earth. At this point it’s no surprise Seth Quintero added one more stage victory to the previous five, despite losing his brakes for half the special, thus gaining overall lead not just in the Dakar, but in FIA World Rally-Raid Championship in the T3 class. At this stage, the all-American has demonstrated an average speed of 80.78 km/h, while multi Dakar title holder Nasser Al Attiyah was cruising at 79.4 km/h in the Car class. Al Attiyah even acknowledged Quintero’s victory, interviewing him after the stage.

However, the Chilean “Chaleco” López spent rest day living off his laurels from the first half of the race, with a solid 20-minute gap separating him and his South Racing team-mate Sebastian Eriksson. “Today, I broke the differential and lost time at the end of the stage, but I’m still happy. I’m still leading the general rankings after one week so it’s perfect. For the rest of the rally, I’m going to treat it as if I was starting again from scratch, but with a lead of twenty minutes! For the moment, I haven’t won a single stage, but I will try to win one next week. Quintero is very strong and very fast. In my opinion, he needs to learn to drive a little more carefully and then he’ll have all that it takes!” praised the South American moto and SSV racer. In WRRC, thanks to his consistency, López is separated from Quintero with just three points while another Red Bull Off-Road team member Gutierrez grabs the third position. 

T3 Top Five Stage Results

1. #303 Quintero (USA)/ Zenz (DEU), RED BULL OFF-ROAD JUNIOR TEAM USA
2. #301 Gutierrez (ESP)/ Cazalet (FRA), RED BULL OFF-ROAD TEAM USA
3. #305 Lopez Contardo (CHL)/ Latrach Vinagre (CHL), EKS – SOUTH RACING
4. #306 Eriksson (SWE)/ Rosegaar (NLD), EKS – SOUTH RACING
5. #312 Lebedev (RUS)/ Shubin (RUS), MSK RALLY TEAM

T3 Top Ten Overall Results

1. #305 Lopez Contardo (CHL)/ Latrach Vinagre (CHL), EKS – SOUTH RACING
2. #306 Eriksson (SWE)/ Rosegaar (NLD), EKS – SOUTH RACING
3. #301 Gutierrez (ESP)/ Cazalet (FRA), RED BULL OFF-ROAD TEAM USA
4. #309 Alvarez (ESP)/ Panseri (FRA), SOUTH RACING CAN-AM
5. #302 Pinchedez (FRA)/ Gaidella (FRA), PINCH RACING
6. #310 Akeel (SAU)/ Lafuente (URY), SOUTH RACING MIDDLE EAST
7. #314 Navarro (ESP)/ Sola (ESP), FN SPEED TEAM
8. #311 Liparoti (ITA)/ Blanco (ESP), YAMAHA POWERED BY X-RAID TEAM
9. #312 Lebedev (RUS)/ Shubin (RUS), MSK RALLY TEAM
10. #300 Machacek (CZE)/ Vyoral (CZE), BUGGYRA ZM RACING

Brazilian Rodrigo Luppi de Oliveira, who is tackling the Dakar Rally for the first time – claiming he is still learning how to drive the dunes – holds onto the lead in the SSV category with just a six-minute gap away from Austin “AJ” Jones and a Second Place on stage. The stage win once again went to Marek Goczal for the third time this week, while Russian Kariakin and Lithuanian Baciuska took third and fourth positions followed by Jones. “Today, we were pushing a lot and hopefully we can make up the lost time we have overall. It’s quite a lot so it might be difficult, but now we’re also planning to have fun and win the stages. We don’t have any options now. We have to push to the last day at our maximum,” revealed Oliveira’s intentions after becoming the stage winner. The four Xtreme Plus Factory team crews are still well in the race, ending the first half of the race on 23, 27, 33 and 43 positions. In WRRC, the first three positions are held by de Oliveira, Michal Goczal and Jones. Dakar is unpredictable, and the six days following the rest day normally take out even more crews as tensions are building up. Plus, a marathon stage awaits! So now the drivers and mechanics better make the most of the “day off” before continuing the fight. 

T4 Top Five Stage Results

1. #410 Goczal (POL)/ Laskawiec (POL), COBANT-ENERGYLANDIA RALLY TEAM
2. #415 Luppi de Oliveira (BRA)/Justo (BRA), SOUTH RACING CAN-AM
3. #406 Kariakin (RUS)/ Vlasiuk (RUS), SNAG RACING TEAM
4. #414 Baciuska (LTU)/ Mena (ESP), SOUTH RACING CAN-AM
5. #401 Jones (USA)/Gugelmin (BRA), CAN-AM FACTORY SOUTH RACING

T4 Top Ten Overall Results

1. #415 Luppi de Oliveira (BRA)/Justo (BRA), SOUTH RACING CAN-AM
2. #401 Jones (USA)/Gugelmin (BRA), CAN-AM FACTORY SOUTH RACING
3. #403 Goczal (POL)/ Gospodarczyk (POL), COBANT-ENERGYLANDIA RALLY TEAM
4. #416 Farres Guell (ESP)/ Ortega Gil (ESP), CAN-AM FACTORY SOUTH RACING
5. #414 Baciuska (LTU)/ Mena (ESP), SOUTH RACING CAN-AM
6. #410 Goczal (POL)/ Laskawiec (POL), COBANT-ENERGYLANDIA RALLY TEAM
7. #421 De Sadeleer (CHE)/ Metge (FRA), TEAM GALAG
8. #406 Kariakin (RUS)/ Vlasiuk (RUS), SNAG RACING TEAM
9. #444 Morais (PRT)/ Megre (PRT), BP ULTIMATE SSV TEAM
10. #447 Lascorz Moreno (ESP)/ Puertas Herrera, BUGGY MASTERS TEAM

In the afternoon, the day was overshadowed by the news – France begins terrorism probe into Saudi Arabia blast ahead of Dakar Rally, and the Dakar might be cancelled. The blast in late December hit a support vehicle belonging to the French team Sodicars soon after it left its Jeddah hotel for the race route, leaving the driver Philippe Boutron in artificial coma for several days, but other five passengers unharmed. The French Ministry for Foreign Affairs issued a statement recommending to exercise maximum vigilance in daily life, especially when traveling, because the terroristic threat persists in Saudi Arabia. As the French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs recommended giving up on the race, the Dakar director David Castera commented “Not today, as the investigation continues.”