Dakar racers are shredding the desert in Saudi Arabia this month. Here we present a round-up of the event from the Prologue and first stage. Climb aboard as the Challenger and SSV classes take to the sand.
Photo Credit: Irina Petrichei
Challengers
Prologue
The Challengers shot out of the horizon ready to break the thin barrier between them and the premiere car class that was sending it into the sunset. With the right pilots and perfect conditions, these Lightweight Prototypes could put those T1s to shame. Well…a few of them at least. From the naked eye, these X-men class mutants seem like SSVs on steroids, plus performance enhancers, then wrapped in what appears to be a tissue box or a gum container. She ain’t pretty, but damn it if she isn’t a star.
All joking aside, it’s the components like longer control arms, upgraded differentials, and a larger turbo that sets them apart. With these side-by-side categories beginning to bulge with new entries at each edition of Dakar, there’s no wonder so much engineering and design goes into making these vessels just a bit less remarkable than Ultimate cars (depending on who you’re asking, of course).
Photo Credit: Justin W. Coffey
A new face has made the pilgrimage from North America to the Middle East this time around, and just in time too. Corbin Leaverton [#325], accompanied by none other than the “Desert Rose” herself, Taye Parry, joins the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team to make a play for gold. And despite meeting his navigator for the first time at the airport—on their way to Jeddah, no less, their performance has so far been impressive. They grabbed a podium win during the Prologue and set themselves up for a successful finish the following day.
With Mitch and Seth moving on up, and two-time Dakar winner, Austin “AJ” Jones out of the race, the T3 category had only two contenders in the arena to put up their dukes for the homeland, so-to-speak. Who we do have on our side are the Lumsdens: Craig and Zachary. The former, with co-pilot Jamie Lambert [South Racing Can-Am, #337] found the 49th position, just ten rungs down from the latter pilot [South Racing Can-Am, #332] who reached 39th with his roadbook wizard, Shannon Moham.
Coming in at the heels of Corbin were teammates Goncalo Guerreiro and Cadu Sachs [#319] who made it across the line 4 seconds after, inhaling sand that hadn’t yet settled since #325 went by. The last step was occupied by BBR Motorsport’s Nicolas Cavigliasso and Valentina Pertegarni [#301], who were just as hot on the trail as their predecessors. To say “this was a close one” would be an understatement.
Photo Credit: Helena Clancy
Stage 1
It’s been said that Dakar is all about a countdown. We count the days until the event, then we count the days until it’s over. And the racers are no exception, although perhaps their motives are different. And when your days begin to blur, as they do, the clock becomes your new metrics—hours turn to minutes turn to seconds. The pace simultaneously speeds up and slows down to a point where you feel suspended in air…floating listlessly as the terrain blurs in your peripheral, and then, as if out of nowhere, you’re at the finish line.
This is a special sort of phenomenon you only achieve from extreme focus. For 15 days, pilots and the media who capture them live in a realm that’s impossible to enter if you aren’t equipped with the mental tools to chase: a photo, an opponent, a dream. This was ground zero for the T3s. Finding this mindset is the first real hurdle before competition can truly begin at Stage One. And if you’re not there when you arrive to DSS, you may never make it to the ASS.
Photo Credit: Edo Bauer
Aside from cosmetic issues, the racers seemed to manage the rough conditions quite well. While our Corbin and Taye didn’t step back up to a victory, they are parked at a healthy launching point in 5th place by the end of the first special. Instead, Nicolas and Valentina broke out in a sprint for the front, making them forerunners at the Chrono Stage (part A).
Next, you’ll find another familiar set of mugs with Goncalo and Cadu sitting in the 2nd seat. But it’s Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and Nasser Al-Kuwari [QMMF #334] who are new to the conversation. The team from Qatar might have made impressive moves to break the Top 3, but it’ll be a bittersweet opening near their opponents in the virgin territory awaiting them less than 24 slow-fast hours away.
Photo Credit: Matteo Gebbia
The SSV Class (Side-by-Sides)
Prologue
As great a loss as losing the Quad class at Dakar might be, we cannot ignore the glorious advent of the SSV category (to include those Challengerss). T3s and T4s might just be the very reason rally raid is finally making a dent in the American favor, with not only more US participants attending these international races but more fans are following them from the comfort of their homes.
We have red, white, and blue eyes attentively focused on the efforts of their countrymen (and women) at a rate far higher than even the last ten years. Or so it seems from the several publications, channels, and amateur outlets that have come to fruition as of late. Not to mention an increasing list of local rally events that have sprung up in North America, bringing with them an extensive community of enthusiasts who share ideas, information, and sport-centric memes.
Photo Credit: Irina Petrichei
Such events as the Sonora Rally in Mexico are even drawing recognition from the international circuit, becoming an official stage of the World Rally-Raid Championship in 2023. And many of the contestants who have carved their teeth in the Gran Desierto de Altar in Sonora over the years are premiering, if not dominating the Dakar Rally. Should we expect such a performance from Team America this time around? Well, if the Prologue is any evidence of an outcome, then we could just have it in the bag.
First-timer at Dakar, Brock Heger [Polaris, #425] is a well-decorated driver back at home, but rally raid is a whole different animal. Yet, in the steady hands of veteran Max Eddy Jr., the “novice” (if you can call him that) Heger managed to take 1st in the stage. In the rearview, three seconds short, was Can-Am’s Jerermais Ferioli along with Pedro Rinaldi [ #407]. Title defender Xavier de Soultrait and his navigator Martin Bonnet [Polaris, #400] put in the work and wound up in third.
Photo Credit: Victor Eleuterio
There are a lot of challenges between Qualifying and the podium, with the organizers placing the infamous Chrono Stage at the head of this year’s nearly 8,000-kilometer route…followed by a long transfer and the marathon, then many, many more kilometers thereafter traversing Saudi, they conclude this brawl with a mass start. It’s a precise design by the ASO to, once again, add madness to mayhem. And everyone glued to their little black mirrors and super wide screens is lapping it up like the thirsty mongrels we are.
Stage 1
For those lucky enough to have a windshield as protection from the elements, Stage One might have only been a nuisance, while it was a real problem for the others. The exposed side-by-sides invite every granule of sand or silt that floats in its path, which causes a distracting level of discomfort alone. Now add the blinding wall of sediment, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Photo Credit: Irina Petrichei
Polaris’ were barely visible through the wall of silt which engulfed the valley. It was bad enough with the bikes, but a full set of tires amplified the storm on the ground. Without wind to push the dirt off-piste, teams and media alike were temporarily blinded for as long as it took for the particles to settle.
One of the fastest T4s on the course, Brock and Max in the Pro R, were riding in tandem with teammates Xavier and Martin, leap-frogging poor unsuspecting rivals who dared drive in their way. However, a curious issue with the digital roadbooks may have led to #425’s ultimate Third place finish. But #400 took the top step without hesitation. That minor hiccup with the nav system allowed Dakar legend on Can-Am Factory, Francisco “Chaleco” Lopez, and partner Juan Pablo Latrach [#404] to sneak through for a 2nd place seat.
Photo Credit: Irina Petrichei
Speaking of Can-Am, it was a bit crushing to see desert star Hunter Miller and his pro-co-pilot Andrew “Shorty” Short [#420] suffer a pinch flat early on in the special, situating them at 36th all while comrades Sara Price and Sean Berriman [#405] secured a more promising 15th – setting them up for comfortable launch into Chrono Stage 2A. And let’s not play the violins for Miller too soon. A mid-pack position can be the perfect start for a 48-hour stretch split by an overnight in the dunes. And it’ll be a brutal one at that.
Photo Credit: Justin W. Coffey
We’re a world away from the final ceremony in Saudi, and yet the Shakedown already feels like it was ages ago. That’s what happens in suspension. You float within the atmosphere, on the border of what’s human and what’s alien, flying your proverbial rocket ships to each new stage. Then, in the next moment, it’s over, and you’re back on earth. Although, for now, so early in the competition, racers, teams, organizers, and media will venture together into the unknown, in search of the checkered flag (and beyond).
For the latest, check out Dakar Racing News.
Compiled by the Expedition Portal Staff
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