Dakar Rally 2022: Nasser Al Attiyah lays down early marker, wins prologue

Bengaluru, January 2: Qatar's three-time champion Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah laid down an early marker in the car race of the Dakar Rally 2022 with victory in the 19kms prologue, while Australia's Daniel Sanders took first place in the bike category.

A three-time winner of the most-demanding off-road races on the planet, Al Attiyah set the early pace in the first competitive action of the 2022 Dakar Rally in the Saudi Arabian deserts, finishing 12sec ahead of Carlos Sainz in the Jeddah-Ha'il prologue.

A winner in 2011, 2015 and 2019, the ace Qatari will now open Sunday's (January 2) 334kms loop stage around the Ha'il bivouac.

"It was a short stage today. I'm quite happy to win because it's good for our starting position tomorrow. I'm happy with the performance of our new car. The team's hard work is helping us a lot," said a beaming Al Attiyah.

A total of 409 vehicles are entered into the rally, including 144 bikes, 87 T1 cars, 48 T3 side-by-sides and 56 trucks.

All these machines took on the 19kms timed prologue stage between Jeddah and Ha'il to determine the starting line-up for Sunday's sandy 334kms against the clock.

Warning to rivals

The prologue stage gave competitors a quick taste of the challenging terrain that will push them to their limits over the next two weeks.

Al Attiyah, who drives under the Toyota Gazoo Racing with Frenchman Matthieu Baumel as his co-driver, comes into the event in red-hot form, having cliched a record fifth FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies title. In Saudi Arabia, the Toyota Gazoo Racing pair are behind the controls of the all-new T1+ version of their Hilux.

Loeb in the hunt

Meanwhile, nine-time World Rally Championship winner Sébastien Loeb kicked off his first Dakar alongside new navigator Fabian Lurquin in impressive fashion.

The Frenchman set the fifth-fastest time of the day, 37sec adrift of Al Attiyah.

Peterhansel surges

Defending champion and 14-time time winner Stephane Peterhansel of France was 14th, with Audi team-mate Mattias Ekström one place further behind.

Elsewhere in the car category, Laia Sanz finished 2min, 40sec behind stage winner Al Attiyah as she takes to the wheel at the Dakar for the first time. The Spaniard holds the incredible record of completing all 11 editions she raced on a bike and is now looking to bring her MINI ALL4 Racing to the finish line in Jeddah on January 14.

Dune bashing

With the prologue stage successfully cleared it is now time for two weeks of long, desert stages at the Dakar. Sunday's racing features 334kms against the clock on a loop around the Ha'il bivouac.

Among the sandy tracks are a series of navigation puzzles that threaten to throw competitors off course before they have barely started the world's toughest rally. The 2022 Dakar Rally, which covers nearly 7,500 kms will finish in Jeddah on January 14.