Once again the New Year is heralded by the sound of engines screaming through the desert, vying to stand atop the pinnacle of off road racing; the Dakar Rally has returned to Saudi Arabia for 2022. As in past years; check back here at ADVMoto for daily news, standings, and updates as the race progresses.

For Stage 5-8 News and Results, please click HERE.

• Stage 4 – January 5, 2022

• Stage 4 Top 10 Results

1. Joan Barreda Bort (Honda) 4:07:06
2. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 4:10:43
3. Rui Goncalves (Sherco) 4:14:05
4. Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) 4:15:02
5. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 4:16:01
6. Sam Sunderland (Gasgas) 4:16:21
7. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 4:17:51
8. Stefan Svitko (Slovnaft) 4:19:09
9. Martin Michek (Orion) 4:20:24
10. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 4:20:40

• Overall Top 10 Results

1. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS)
2. Matthias Walkner (KTM)
3. Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha)
4. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS)
5. Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco)
6. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda)
7. Joan Barreda Bort (Honda)
8. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna)
9. Stefan Svitko (Slovnaft)
10. Kevin Benavides (KTM)

• Stage 4 - Monster Energy Honda Team one-two for Barreda and Quintanilla on the Dakar’s longest special

79% dirt, 12% dunes, 7% sand and 2% dried-out lake were on the menu for the longest stage of the 2022 Dakar Rally, with a 465-kilometre special and a total trek of 707 kilometers. A trial by fire for all those involved. There was a mix of different terrain types to be negotiated and some navigation too. All in all, a high-paced affair that would begin to mark out the riders who will end up in possible contention for the final Dakar prize.

Joan Barreda pushed his Honda CRF450 RALLY to the limit and finish with the day’s top time at the finish in Riyadh. With flawless riding and navigational prowess, the Spanish rider reached the finish-line in Riyadh the clear winner and currently holds seventh position, just over thirteen minutes shy of the overall leader.

Pablo Quintanilla also performed well. An advantageous starting position also helped him follow the trail of his team-mate. The Chilean turned out a very steady stage, consistently among the top three, climbing up one position in the order in the latter half of the day. Quinta’ improves on his position in the table and now lies sixth, eleven minutes and thirteen seconds behind the race leader.

Ricky Brabec, who set off from sixth this morning in Al Qaisumah, had a fairly good day, posting tenth, but Brabec also received a two-minute penalty for speeding in a controlled area. While, José Ignacio Cornejo finished twelfth, looking more at ease on the bike as the days go by, in spite of a minor navigation mistake earlier in the special.

Red Bull KTM’s Matthias Walkner put in another strong ride, claiming a solid eighth place on the tough special. This result, and Matthias’ string of consistent finishes, moves the Austrian up to second overall in the rally standings – just three minutes exactly from the lead. With an advantageous starting position for Thursday’s stage five, the reigning FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion will be looking to further close that gap.

Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Luciano Benavides has put in an exceptionally strong performance on the long, 465-kilometre timed special on day four of the 2022 Dakar Rally to secure a fifth-place stage finish. The Argentinian moves up five places in the event standings to 20th. Teammate Skyler Howes, who set off as the fourth rider into the special due to his result from Tuesday’s stage three, placed 21st, successfully defending his top-10 placing in the overall standings.

Sam Sunderland continues to lead the 2022 Dakar Rally with the British racer now enjoying a three-minute advantage over his closest rival in the provisional overall standings! Chasing down the leading riders from his 17th place starting position on today’s 465-kilometer special, the Brit would ultimately complete the stage as the seventh fastest rider. For GASGAS Factory Racing's Daniel Sanders, the Aussie was on a charge all day, opening much of the special and finishing the stage in 17th to move up to fourth in the general rankings.

• Sunderland Maintains Provisional Dakar Rally Lead While Sanders Secures Fifth on Stage Three

Ticking off another solid day of racing at the 2022 Dakar Rally, GASGAS Factory Racing’s Sam Sunderland and Daniel Sanders have both safely completed the relatively simple, but super-fast, third stage. For Sunderland, the Brit expertly assisted with opening the special after setting off in second place before a minor issue finding a waypoint caused him to lose a little bit of time. With all riders setting a similar pace, he ultimately placed 17th, just seven-and-a-half minutes behind the stage winner to retain the overall rally lead. Sanders meanwhile secured the fifth fastest time and now lies fifth in the overall provisional classification.

Today was very sandy, and very fast! I had a little bit of difficulty finding a waypoint, which allowed a few riders to catch up with me, so I knew I’d lost a bit of time there. But overall, it wasn’t too bad. We’re in for a really long stage tomorrow so starting further back is a good thing and I’m excited for a long day on the bike. - Sam Sunderland

As the 23rd rider to enter stage three after his little detour yesterday, Daniel Sanders was on the gas from the moment he entered the special until he roared across the finish line in Al Qaisumah. Despite being slightly frustrated that the stage was cut short due to heavy rain, the Aussie remains upbeat and near the front of the provisional standings. Sanders is now just under nine minutes behind the race leader, Sam Sunderland.

It was a good day today. It’s a shame that the stage was cut short as I had a solid pace going and feel like I’d have made up some more time on the guys in front. The navigation was a little bit easier than previous days, so I was able to put my head down and charge all day pretty much. I enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to tomorrow. - Daniel Sanders

• Skyler Howes Claims Top-Four Result on Dakar Rally Stage Three and Climbs to Fourth Overall

Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Skyler Howes continues to put in strong and consistent results at the 2022 Dakar Rally, claiming his second fourth-place stage finish in a row to move himself up to fourth in the provisional overall standings. Skyler now trails the event leader by under four minutes. Teammate Luciano Benavides completed the shortened 255-kilometer special in 15th place.

Today was really fun – fast like yesterday with plenty of tracks and some technical dunes. I started off fourth and stayed there till around kilometer 250 where there was a tricky-to-find waypoint and I managed to catch up with the three in front. From there to the finish I opened the whole way, which was really fun and good experience. I did ok on my navigation today, not perfect but it all went smoothly, and I was able to stay at a good pace even from the front. Fourth on the stage is really encouraging, so I’m stoked and already looking forward to tomorrow. - Skyler Howes

Heavy rain in the area forced the organizers to cut short stage three, and with wet sand covering the tracks and dunes, the special delivered a fast-paced challenge to all competitors. Howes, who found the conditions very much to his liking, pushed hard from his fourth-place start position, making very few errors and catching the three riders ahead of him before the end of the stage. Opening the special from there on, the American was able to maintain his position on the time sheets, despite his rivals chasing him down. Another fourth-place stage result means that Howes now lies fourth in the overall standings and will also enjoy a strong start position for Wednesday’s long 465-kilometre timed special from Al Qaysumah to Riyadh.

Continuing to move himself up the overall order, Luciano Benavides put in a solid ride on stage three to claim 15th place, just over six minutes down on the winner. Completing the special without error or incident, Benavides moves up to 25th in the rankings. The young Argentinean is determined to make up for the time lost on stage one, but with nine days still left to race, he knows that a consistent pace without any mistakes is key to fulfilling that goal.

Stage three has definitely been the best day for me so far in the race in terms of my rhythm and navigation. I didn’t make any big mistakes and was able to set my own pace throughout the special. Tomorrow is the longest day of the rally, and it looks like it’s going to include some really tricky navigation, so I think I have a good start position to hopefully make up some time. My position in the overall is still not too great because of the time lost on day one, but there are still many days to go, and I’ll keep on giving my best. - Luciano Benavides

•  Toby Price Finishes as Runner-Up on Fast Dakar Rally Stage Three

With heavy rain falling in and around the Al Artawiyah region, organizers were forced to shorten the timed special on stage three to 255 kilometers. Made up of extremely fast sand tracks and areas of dunes, the stage didn’t present too much of a challenge in terms of navigation, and as such, times at the top were close. The top 10 finishers were separated by less than five minutes.

After his fifth-place result on stage two, Toby Price knew he would have to push right from the start to make up time on his rivals ahead. However, with times so tight, it was tough for the Australian to claw back much more than a few minutes. Maintaining good speed over the entire special, Price was able to ultimately fight his way up to second, just over one-minute down on the eventual stage winner by the end of the day. The result moves Toby up to 14th overall, as he continues to regain the time lost on stage one.

Today has been a good day – super fast, so you can’t really make up time on anyone. We had some lines in the dunes that you could see, so I just tried to make a good clean stage and not make any big mistakes. I did have one little get-off, but other than that, nothing major. The results are close, but we’re going in the right direction, and we’ll see what tomorrow brings. - Toby Price

Impressing once again with both his speed and consistency, Kevin Benavides rode a solid stage three to claim eighth place. As the third rider into the special, it meant that the Argentinian was soon up near the front of the pack, opening the stage along with another three riders. Thanks to his strong run of form, despite losing time on the difficult to navigate opening stage, Kevin now lies eighth in the provisional overall standings.

I set off third today and so pushed right from the start. After the refueling I caught up to the guys in front and we rode together as a group of four in the end, which was good as the pace was quite high. Day by day I’m getting back some of the time I lost with a mistake on stage one, so things are going well. - Kevin Benavides

As the 14th rider to take to today’s stage, Matthias Walkner had hoped to use it to his advantage and chase down the riders ahead. With the special shortened and times extremely close, despite his overall speed on the stage, Walkner was unable to retake as much time as he would have liked. However, making the minimum of mistakes, the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion was able to steer his KTM 450 RALLY to the finish in 10th place, successfully defending his third-place position in the overall event standings.

It was a really, really fast stage today. The guys in front did a good job of navigating, so even though we had some lines in the wet sand, it was hard to make up that much time. I’m lying third in the overall, but it’s still very early, so we’ll see what tomorrow brings. - Matthias Walkner

Suffering a technical issue yesterday, Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Danilo Petrucci was forced to withdraw from the stage. Returning to the team at the bivouac, the electrical problem was found and rectified, and the Italian rider was cleared to rejoin the race, although he will no longer feature in the event classification. Setting off 51st into today's stage three, Petrucci immediately began fighting for a top-20 position, despite the traffic he had to encounter. A small mistake towards the end of the stage cost him a couple of minutes, but Danilo was able to hold on for an impressive 22nd place.

I’m really happy to be able to continue riding today after the issue I had yesterday. Yes, I’ve lost one stage, but it feels good to be racing again. I really enjoyed the stage today, the goal was just to get to the end, but it was very fast and really good fun. There were a lot of lines in the sand, but I still tried to read the roadbook and learn more in the way of my own navigation. I did make a couple of small mistakes, but it feels so good to be back on the bike. I have nine more stages to continue learning and I’m looking forward to it. - Danilo Petrucci

• Stage 2 - January 3, 2022

• First Stage Win for the Monster Energy Honda Team at the 2022 Dakar.

With today’s triumph, Joan Barreda now holds a tally of 28 Dakar Rally stage wins. The Monster Energy Honda Team rider is the third most successful motorcycle rider in the rally’s history after Peterhansel and Despres (33). The general standings underwent a slight reshuffle today, with Pablo Quintanilla now in seventh place.

This second stage of the 2022 Dakar Rally brought about some changes as had earlier been predicted. Downpours over the last few days in the northern part of Saudi Arabia caused some flooding, such as the wash-out at the Al Artawiyah bivouac for the Marathon stage. As a consequence, the organizers yesterday decided to switch the stage 2 destination to the camp set up at Al Qaisumah. The 338.43-kilometre special stage, however, remained intact, but with the riders’ liaison section to the new bivouac lengthened for a total 453-kilometer trek. Dunes were the main feature of the day: a quarter of the timed special stage was made up of various ridges of dunes.

Joan Barreda expressed his satisfaction with the day’s proceedings on reaching Al Qaisumah. The Spaniard, who started from a favorable position to attack, let no-one stand between him and his goal, completing the special with a surplus of five-and-a-half minutes over the stage’s nearest second best rider. José Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Cornejo was clearly ill at ease on terrain not suited to his style. Elsewhere, American Ricky Brabec – after a dismal stage yesterday where he dropped a lot of time – came out with the intention of whittling down the gap and will hope to improve further over the forthcoming stages.

Pablo Quintanilla was the second RallyGP rider to take the start today. From the chilly bivouac of Ha’il, and after a 183-kilometer liaison section, the Chilean rider tried to keep a close tab on the race leader who had started ahead of him. Quintanilla pressed hard, going on to open the track, but was unable to shake off Sanders. In the end, the handicap of having opened the track had taken its toll with the Chilean making a slight error and losing time but nevertheless managed to limit the damage. The Monster Energy Honda Team rider currently lies in seventh, 12-and-a-half minutes adrift of the leader.

• Sam Sunderland Shines on Dakar Rally Stage Two for GASGAS

Oh, it’s tight at the top now! Starting sixth on stage two of the 2022 Dakar Rally, Sam Sunderland put together a faultless display of riding and navigation to catch the front runners, lead the stage, and then bring his GASGAS RC 450F Rally home in a fine second place. The strong result moves the Brit to the top of the provisional leaderboard where he now enjoys a near three-minute advantage over his nearest rival. Fresh from taking his maiden Dakar stage win yesterday, Daniel Sanders did a great job of opening the majority of today’s stage, frustratingly making a small but costly navigational error on his way into the finish, which led to him ending the special close to 25 minutes behind the day’s winner.

It was an interesting day today and it certainly went a bit more smoothly than yesterday, which is what I wanted. I started sixth and focused on just pushing hard to catch the leaders. There was some tricky navigation, but I figured out the way pretty quickly and caught up to Van Beveren. We then caught up with a few more of the leading guys so from there onwards we took it in turns to navigate and it was a pretty cool way to end the stage. - Sam Sunderland

Keeping a cool head in the face of adversity is an essential attribute to rally success so when Daniel Sanders found himself on the wrong side of canyon nearing the end of stage two, he had to make a quick decision. Instead of turning back, he opted to jump his GASGAS RC 450F clean over it to get back in the race, which, fortunately, worked out perfectly! From there onwards it was a hard charge to the finish line. Despite losing a little bit of time, Sanders lies in a strong third in the overall provisional classification, just three-and-a-half minutes down on teammate Sunderland.

Today was pretty wild to begin with as it was pretty cloudy and the stage was super-fast early on. I had a good day going until after a fuel stop where I went down the wrong side of a canyon and lost a little bit of time. In the end I had to jump over it to get out of it but once back on the right line I pushed on to the finish. A little frustrating but I was able to make up some time in the dunes so all in all, not a bad day really. - Daniel Sanders

• Third Place Finish for Kevin Benavides on Dakar Stage Two

Totaling 570 kilometers, day two of the Dakar challenged competitors with a series of tricky-to-navigate fast tracks and open dunes. Navigation, although not as testing as during the event’s opening stage, still caught out many as they made their way from Ha’il to Al Artawiya.

Completing stage one in 14th place, defending Dakar Champion Kevin Benavides made the very best use of his starting position to make up time on his rivals. With his KTM 450 RALLY performing perfectly beneath him, Benavides was able to work his way up the rankings as the day progressed, moving into the top three by the halfway point. From there, the experienced Argentinian maintained a strong pace to the finish, ultimately claiming third, just under six minutes down on the stage winner.

Today was a good day, especially after such a tough day yesterday. I started near the back and was able to push really hard. The special today was really fast in places, but also quite complicated – you had to know where to attack and where to focus on your navigation. It’s only day two and everything can happen at the Dakar – there are always ups and downs. I’m looking forward to the next few days.  - Kevin Benavides

Also one of the riders to lose time on the event’s first full stage, Toby Price’s second day at the 2022 Dakar thankfully went very much the same way as teammate Benavides’, with the Aussie building his pace throughout the day and fighting his way up the order. Completing the stage as fifth fastest, earning himself a strong start position for day three, Toby will aim to cut his deficit to the leaders once again tomorrow.

Today went a lot better than yesterday, and I was able to claw back a little time on the leaders. It’s always tough when you lose a big chunk of time early on, but it’s still very early days and there’s a lot of racing left. The bike is really good – I’m feeling really comfortable – so let’s continue tomorrow and see what happens. - Toby Price

Despite being the third rider to enter the timed special on stage two, Matthias Walkner was able to maintain a strong pace while delivering accurate navigation on the fast stage, completing the day in 14th. The result means that the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion now sits in a solid fourth place overall, with an advantageous start position to look forward to on Tuesday’s stage three.

I had a good stage today; I started third so that was always going to be quite tough. After the refueling, the guys in front made a mistake; I stayed on the wrong line too for a little while, but then realized my mistake and was able to get back on course. For the rest of the stage I was riding with another couple of riders with us taking it in turns to open. Navigation was really tricky, but I think we did a good job.  - Matthias Walkner

Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Danilo Petrucci suffered a technical issue early on in the stage that brought his day to a premature end. 

• Fourth Place Finish for Husqvarna Factory Racing on Stage Two of Dakar Rally 2022

Putting the challenging opening stage of the 2022 Dakar Rally firmly behind him, Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Skyler Howes has claimed a solid fourth-place result on the 554-kilometre stage two from Al Ha’il to Artawiyah. The FR 450 Rally rider now lies an impressive fifth overall in the provisional rally standings. Luciano Benavides fought his way back from a 38th place start to claim a solid 17th at the finish of the stage.

 Starting the special stage as the 10th rider to set off, Skyler was quickly up to speed and chasing down the riders ahead of him, once again pushing hard but not taking any unnecessary risks so early on in the event. Enjoying the fast tracks and wet sandy conditions, the American was soon knocking on the door of a top-three finish, eventually bringing his FR 450 Rally home in fourth and just over six minutes behind the day’s stage winner, Sam Sunderland.

The stage went well for me – I felt pretty comfortable riding on the wet sand. The dunes and the fast, sandy tracks were a lot of fun to ride, so today was really enjoyable, especially after some of the stresses of yesterday. I felt like I rode at a pretty good pace, and I’m happy with my result. It puts me in a good position for stage three, so I hope I can maximize on that. My focus is just to keep putting in solid rides, and make sure that I stay focused on the navigation. Overall, I’m really happy with how today went. - Skyler Howes

One of a number of riders to lose a considerable amount of time during yesterday’s stage one, Luciano Benavides started today’s stage two way back in 38th position. With a large number of competitors ahead of him, the Argentinian worked his way up 20 places before the day’s first checkpoint. Maintaining a strong pace, a small navigational error cost Luciano another few minutes in the latter kilometres of the special, but the young Argentinian was able to hold on to ultimately claim 17th for the day.

Day two is done. I started quite far back and thought I would be able to use that to my advantage to make up as much time as I could on the guys in front. But with the rain making the sand really wet, following the tracks in front became very difficult as the route became quite rutted in places and it was difficult to push. I felt good with my rhythm and was still making good time, but then I made a little mistake towards the end of the stage that cost me some minutes. Overall I feel good, and the bike is great – 10 more stages to go. - Luciano Benavides

• Stage 2 Top 10 Results

1. Joan Barreda Bort (Honda) 3:31:20
2. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 3:36:53
3. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 3:37:14
4. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 3:37:36
5. Toby Price (KTM) 3:38:20
6. Joaquim Rodrigues (Hero) 3:41:38
7. Stefan Svitko (Slovnaft) 3:41:52
8. Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha) 3:42:54
9. Andrew Short (Yamaha) 3:43:22
10. Aaron Mare (Hero) 3:43:57

• Overall Top 10 Results

1. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS)
2. Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha)
3. Matthias Walkner (KTM)
4. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna)
5. Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco)
6. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda)
7. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS)
8. Stefan Svitko (Slovnaft)
9. Aaron Mare (Hero)
10. Joan Barreda Bort (Honda)

• Stage 1 - January 2, 2022

• GASGAS Factory Racing’s Aussie Hard Charger Makes the Perfect Start to Dakar 2022

After setting a blistering time and winning yesterday’s Prologue, Daniel Sanders has maintained his impressive speed to secure victory on today’s opening stage of the 2022 Dakar Rally! Opting to enter the stage as the 15th rider and chase down the riders ahead, the Aussie’s game plan worked perfectly with the GASGAS RC 450F Rally racer winning the special by over three minutes to maintain his place at the top of the overall provisional classification. For Sam Sunderland, despite struggling to find a waypoint along with many of his rivals, the Brit ultimately completed the stage as the sixth fastest rider.

So far things are shaping up really good. After winning the Prologue yesterday I got to choose my starting position and opted to start in 15th and then focus on chasing after the guys up front. There was some tricky navigation near the end of the special but I kept cool, avoided any huge errors and then l lead the stage to the end. This was great for me as it made sure I focused on my roadbook and as I’ll lead out tomorrow – it was good to get a little experience of riding alone up front. I’m excited for tomorrow and looking forward to the challenge ahead. - Daniel Sanders

Enjoying a strong debut ride aboard GASGAS machinery at the 2022 Dakar Rally, Sam Sunderland was well placed and running up front with the leading riders until until finding one of the waypoints late on in the 334-kilometer special proved anything but easy. After losing valuable time along with many of his rivals, Sunderland quickly found his way and pushed to the end of the special to secure his sixth-place finish.

The first proper day is done and it’s safe to say that we went straight in at the deep end! My navigation was good all day but when we got to kilometer 276 there was a waypoint which was really difficult to find. A few of us went around in circles but once I found it my only option was to push as hard as I could to make up for lost time. It’s been a tough first day but there’s such a long way to go, hopefully tomorrow will go a little more smoothly. - Sam Sunderland

• HRC Monster Energy’s Quintanilla Replicates Second Place at the End of the First Dakar 2022 Stage

Today marks the end of the first stage of the Dakar Rally 2022, which began yesterday with the prologue. Pablo Quintanilla repeated yesterday’s position and remains in contention for the race lead.

Yesterday’s prologue stage was a mere curtain-raiser for the riders, but today the Dakar challenge turned serious. Navigation was the main protagonist of the day at several key points along the sandy tracks of the 333-kilometre special stage, in particular, some 50 kilometres from the end of the special where several riders lost their way. However, with the Dakar barely underway, anything can still potentially happen. The Monster Energy Honda Team riders are fairly confident