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.

For Stage 1-4 News and Results, please click HERE.

• Stage 11 - January 12, 2022

• Overall Top 10 Results

1. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS)
2. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda)
3. Matthias Walkner (KTM)
4. Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha)
5. Joan Barreda Bort (Honda)
6. Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (Honda)
7. Ricky Brabec (Honda)
8. Andrew Short (Yamaha)
9. Mason Klein (KTM)
10. Toby Price (KTM)

• Stage 12 Top 10 Results

1. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 1:40:00
2. Toby Price (KTM) 1:40:18
3. Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (Honda) 1:40:29
4. Joan Barreda Bort (Honda) 1:14:13
5. Mason Klein (KTM) 1:41:23
6. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 1:42:38
7. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 1:42:57
8. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 1:43:25
9. Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) 1:44:18
10. Diego Gamaliel Llanos (Xraids) 1:44:35

• History Made with First Ever Dakar Rally Victory for GASGAS Factory Racing!

Sam Sunderland and GASGAS Factory Racing have won the 2022 Dakar Rally! Delivering exactly the kind of mature, considered performance we’ve come to expect of him over the last two weeks, in finishing eighth in today’s final stage, Sam has claimed overall victory at the 44th Dakar Rally. And, at the end of 12 grueling days of racing across the Saudi Arabian desert, he’s handed GASGAS our first ever victory at the world’s most iconic rally raid event!

Wow. What a feeling! That 10-minute period waiting at the end of the final stage to see if I’d won felt like a lifetime. But this feeling, knowing I’ve won a second Dakar, will stay in my memory forever. This win feels better than the first as this victory was anything but easy. The times were so close this year and there was no time to let off the gas, it was a really close race, right to the end. All of the hard work, the sacrifices, and everything that the GASGAS team has done for me makes it all worthwhile. It’s been five years since my first Dakar win, and it’s been a long time to wait! I’m super happy to get another win and claim the first one for GASGAS. Everyone on the team has worked so hard to achieve this and it’s a true team effort – together we got the job done. Amazing. - Sam Sunderland

Leading the race from stage two through to the end of stage six, the Dakar began perfectly for Sam. Riding flawlessly throughout the two-week event, he delivered the goods on multiple occasions when the pressure was well and truly on. Competitive from the very beginning, GASGAS Factory Racing’s Sam Sunderland is 2022 Dakar Rally champion!

Sam’s second Dakar victory is not just an incredible personal achievement; it also marks the return of the title to the KTM AG Company. With 19 wins in the last 22 years, Sam’s victory re-affirms the group’s commitment and ongoing success at the world’s toughest rally raid.

While it’s all about Sam right now and his amazing achievement, it wouldn’t be right to sign off from Dakar 2022 without giving Daniel Sanders the credit he deserves. Our second GASGAS Factory Racing star taking on this year’s event, Chucky claimed two amazing stage wins, and on the final day of racing in week one, led Sam home for a GASGAS one-two. A crash on stage seven resulted in a fractured elbow and wrist, but the good news is that’s he’s had surgery and is now well on the way to making a full recovery. He’ll be back at the Dakar in 2023 for another run at the title.

Congrats guys, enjoy the party!

Amazing, simply amazing! This Dakar was a really challenging race, right until the very end, so to win, it’s an incredible achievement. Throughout the whole event Sam was smart, strong, and his speed was exceptional. I’m really happy for him and the whole of GASGAS Factory Racing. The entire team has worked so hard to be successful and it’s a really special moment. There’s no feeling like it. I’d like to thank all of the team’s sponsors and partners, everyone in Austria, and now, after a two tough weeks, it’s time to celebrate! - Norbert Stadlbauer – Rally Team Manager

• Matthias Walkner and KTM Finish Third at 2022 Dakar Rally

Lying third going in the final day of racing, Matthias Walkner put in a superb performance on today’s stage to finish seventh fastest and secure his overall podium result. After covering more than 8,000 kilometers, the top three motorcycle class finishers were separated by just under seven minutes, such was the closeness of competition at this year’s event. Walkner’s third-place finish is the Austrian’s fourth Dakar podium, as he adds the hard-fought result to his 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship title, in what has been an incredible 12 months of racing for the experienced 35-year-old.

I feel super happy and also lucky to be here healthy at the finish line. It feels great to be back on the podium too after a couple of difficult Dakars the past two years. It’s been a super long and hard Dakar as always, but this year has been special because of the level of navigation needed every day. We saw right from the first day that you can win or lose so much time on each stage. Because of that I really tried to focus on my roadbook, and concentrate on my navigation for the whole race. The first week went really well for me, and then into the second week, everyone was pushing really hard, so you had to give your best every day as the times were so close. The new bike has been brilliant, and the team have put so much effort into making sure we had the performance needed to finish on the podium, so thank you to them. Now it’s time to celebrate! - Matthias Walkner

Following a tough start to this year's event when a navigation issue on stage one cost him a considerable amount of time, Toby Price delivered day after day of solid results to fight his way back into the top-10 overall. Placing as second quickest on the final day of racing, together with his stage win on day 10, shows that the two-time Dakar Champion has lost none of his speed or motivation. Happy to safely complete the 2022 event without injury, Price now looks ahead to the remainder of this year’s FIM World Rally-Raid Championship.

I’m always happy to reach the finish here at the Dakar, it’s been a really tough race this year. Losing time on that first day put me on the back foot a little for the rest of the stages, and the way things are now, any mistakes can lose you a lot of time on the others because things are so close. The terrain here in Saudi makes for a really fast race too, a lot of the stages are sprints to the finish, but the atmosphere is good and it’s a good place to be. I’m excited for 2023 already! - Toby Price

Kevin Benavides showed impressive speed throughout the whole 2022 Dakar Rally – his first riding for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team. Also losing time on the first day in Saudi, the 2021 Dakar Champion put in day after day of fast, consistent performances to fight his way back up the order to lie fifth overall at the close of stage nine. Unfortunately, after suffering a technical issue on stage 10, the Argentinean was forced to withdraw. Returning to complete the final two stages of the race, Benavides was immediately back up to speed, claiming a stage win on day 11. Happy to reach the finish line safely and taking the many positives from his performance, Kevin is already fully motivated for next year’s event.

I have enjoyed this final day at the Dakar – I opened the stage, which was great, and it feels good to finally get to the finish. Obviously, it’s frustrating to have had the problem on stage 10, up until that point my race had gone really well, and I believe I had the pace to challenge for the podium. These last two days have shown that, too. There are many positives I can take from this year’s race and I’m really happy with how I rode and navigated through the stages. Part of the Dakar is all about learning and improving and so I’ll take that away from this year and try to come back even stronger in 2023. - Kevin Benavides

Making not only his Dakar debut, but also his first ever competitive rally-raid appearance at the 2022 Dakar, Danilo Petrucci raised a few eyebrows around the paddock with his consistent display of speed and skill on his Tech3 KTM 450 RALLY. Claiming a stage win at the Dakar is a huge accomplishment, to do it at your first attempt is a spectacular achievement! Attaining his goal of completing the race, Danilo was overjoyed with how his race had gone and what he had accomplished.

I am so happy to finally reach the finish line and to complete the goal I set out to do. It's been a tough time both leading up to the event and the race itself, but to complete my first ever Dakar feels amazing. I'm really happy with my performance but over the last couple of days I have had some crashes and feel quite sore at the moment. Thanks to all the team for their hard work, it has been an amazing experience and one of the hardest things I have ever done. - Danilo Petrucci

Completing his 2022 Dakar campaign with an excellent fifth-place result on stage 12, KTM-supported privateer Mason Klein not only finished as top rookie, but also claimed an outstanding ninth overall. The 20-year-old American has shown incredible navigation and roadbook skills over the course of this year’s event, as well as the speed to back it up.

I’m really proud of the whole team. The Dakar is simply the toughest, hardest race in the world. For all of our riders to get to the finish is a huge achievement. Big congratulations to Matthias who did an amazing job to put his KTM on the podium in third position. It’s another really good result for him and even more impressive considering the level of this year’s event. Thank you also to Toby, Kevin, and of course Danilo, who all performed very well over the whole race. It’s been an amazing Dakar, so thank you to all who helped to make it happen. - Norbert Stadlbauer – Rally Team Manager

• Luciano Benavides Successfully Completes 2022 Dakar Rally

Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Luciano Benavides has successfully completed the 2022 Dakar Rally with a strong performance on the 12th and final stage of the event, claiming sixth fastest on the short timed special. The result places the young Argentinean 13th in the overall rally standings.

Although the final stage of this year’s Dakar Rally was a long one, totaling 680 kilometers from Bisha to the finish in Jeddah, the special used to decide the final event placings was a relative sprint to the finish, totaling just 164 kilometers. As the 26th rider to enter the timed section, Benavides immediately got his head down and pushed hard right from the start.

With the special primarily made up of fast, sandy tracks, and navigation proving less of a challenge, times were extremely close at the sharp end of the timesheets. Coming in just less than three minutes behind the eventual stage winner, Luciano secured a strong result for the final stage and with it ended his 2022 Dakar on a high.

I’m really happy to complete this year’s Dakar, it’s been a really tough event both mentally and physically. It was hard to lose time on the first stage, but since then I have been giving my all to work my way back up the standings. The bike has been great and with a few changes as the race has gone on, I’ve found a setting I feel comfortable with and because of that the results have been improving throughout the rally. Getting to the finish of such a long and intense event feels amazing. It would have been good to get inside the top 10 by the finish, but I’m still happy with my performance. The result and the finish have really improved my confidence and now I’m looking forward to the rest of the year and seeing what we can do in the world championship, before preparing for Dakar 2023. - Luciano Benavides

The impressive performance continued a strong run of form for Benavides who has gone from strength to strength in the second week of racing. Following a tricky start where he, like many of his rivals, lost time on the event’s opening stage, Luciano has delivered six top-10 stage results to fight his way back up the leaderboard. Completing the rally in 13th overall, the former FIM Cross-Country Rallies Junior World Champion is happy to finish a third Dakar Rally and now looks ahead to attacking the rest of the world championship.

Skyler Howes had also been showing incredible form at this year’s race when a crash on stage five forced him to withdraw from the event. After undergoing medical checks at the local hospital, the American was discharged and has since returned home where he will get some much-needed rest and recovery time before returning to competition later in the year.

• Stage 11 - January 12, 2022

• Stage 11 Top 10 Results

1. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 3:30:56
2. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 3:31:00
3. Joaquim Rodrigues (Hero) 3:33:22
4. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 3:35:50
5. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 3:36:18
6. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 3:38:36
7. Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (Honda) 3:39:01
8. Romain Dumontier (Dumontier) 3:45:56
9. Andrew Short (Yamaha) 3:46:42
10. Stefan Svitko (Slovnaft) 3:48:47

• Overall Top 10 Results

1. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS)
2. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda)
3. Matthias Walkner (KTM)
4. Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha)
5. Joan Barreda Bort (Honda)
6. Ricky Brabec (Honda)
7. Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (Honda)
8. Andrew Short (Yamaha)
9. Mason Klein (KTM)
10. Toby Price (KTM)

• GASGAS Factory Racing’s Sam Sunderland Retakes Dakar Rally Lead

We said stage 11 would be a pivotal day of racing at the Dakar and, oh boy, it sure was! After losing a little time yesterday, the pressure was well and truly on Sam today, who in no uncertain terms needed to deliver a flawless ride to keep his chances of a second Dakar win alive. And that’s exactly what he did. Putting together a standout performance, Sam navigated perfectly, attacked from the start, and finished second on the stage, just four seconds behind the eventual winner. Now, with just one day of racing to go, the GASGAS Factory Racing ace sits at the top of the leaderboard with a near seven-minute advantage over his nearest rival.

Today was a really tough one. We were expecting it to be difficult and even four kilometers in there were lines everywhere in the sand. From there on I had to focus on myself and stay on top of my roadbook, it wasn’t really an option to follow the lines ahead. Through the dunes I was able to make up some time, which was good and I just missed out on another stage win. Up until now the race has gone really well, the whole team behind me has been fantastic but the race isn’t over until it’s over. All I can do is hope for a clean run through tomorrow’s stage and then we’ll see where we end up. - Sam Sunderland

In rally racing, starting any stage a handful of riders behind the first rider generally proves to be an advantage, but with the navigation incredibly tricky on today’s penultimate stage of the rally, it was every man for himself out there in the desert. Opting to focus solely on his roadbook throughout the challenging 345-kilometer special, Sam was in superb form, narrowly missing out on the stage win but more importantly, now leads the rally heading into the final, decisive day of racing. It’s go time!

• Pablo Quintanilla to Fight Tooth and Nail for the Overall Dakar 2022 Win

Monster Energy Honda Team’s Dakar Rally battle will go down to the wire. After the penultimate stage, Pablo Quintanilla holds second overall place with a chance of victory. There are still over 150 kilometres left to go, with the Dakar often producing final stage surprises.

Today’s special stage, as expected, was an intriguing one. The strategy of the previous day, which saw some riders managing to lose time, yet drop many positions, in order to benefit in today’s starting order, dictated for the most part, what happened on the route today. Some 346 kilometers of sand and dunes, on a total stage of just over 500 kilometers, helped define how the podium is likely to look at the end. The Bisha loop caused a few losses, but many riders were able to make up for time they had lost yesterday.

Ricky Brabec was the best-placed Monster Energy Honda Team rider on the day. The American finished in fifth place, moving up into six place overall, a position which he hopes to consolidate tomorrow. Brabec finished just one place ahead of team-mate Pablo Quintanilla. Pablo, sixth, performed well today – well enough to be in contention tomorrow and could improve on his current second place in this 2022 Dakar. The Chilean biker is less than seven minutes behind the overall race leader. If the full length of the final special stage goes ahead as planned tomorrow, the rider could well spring a surprise and stand a chance of scooping the world’s toughest rally.

Chilean José Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Cornejo also had a good day in spite of a minor mistake in the opening kilometers of the special. Today’s seventh place also puts him into the same position in the general rankings. Lastly, Joan Barreda was lumbered with opening the track today as the riders ahead forced him to carry the stage’s main burden. The conditions were not ideal for Joan who struggled to make progress in the soft dunes of Bisha. With a fall included, the Spaniard finished sixteenth in RallyGP and is fifth in the general standings, nearly half an hour behind the race leader.

• Kevin Benavides Tops Penultimate Stage at Dakar 2022

The event organizers ensured there was a sting in the tail to this year’s Dakar Rally by delivering one the most challenging stages of the race on the penultimate day. Technically demanding navigation combined with extremely soft sand and dunes tested the riders and their machines to the limit.

After a disappointing stage 10 yesterday in which his 2022 Dakar hopes came to an end, Kevin Benavides bounced back in style, showing impressive speed to top today’s results. Putting in an incredible performance, the number one plate holder fought his way from a late, 33rd place start to ultimately win the stage by a narrow four seconds. Benavides will now lead out the event’s short, final 164-kilometer timed special on Friday’s stage 12.

It was a really demanding day today. It’s great to get the win but I’m full of emotion because of the issue I had yesterday. Up to that point I was fighting for the overall, and now, after going fastest today I know I would have been in with a chance to win the rally. I gave it my all today, mostly to prove to myself that I could do it. I think it’s important to be able to come back from disappointment and immediately fight for a stage win. I have to thank the whole team, but especially my mechanic who worked so hard last night to give me an amazing bike for today – it felt perfect on the stage. I will now have the pleasure of opening the last stage of the race with no pressure, so I’m really looking forward to it and reaching the finish. - Kevin Benavides

Well in the fight for the overall rally honors, Matthias Walkner had to ensure he delivered a strong stage result today with the minimum of mistakes to stay in contention for the 2022 title. Fastest to the first checkpoint, Walkner navigated superbly through the remainder of the special to complete the stage in fourth place, just under five minutes down on teammate Benavides. Moving up to third overall in the event standings, Matthias will be aiming to reduce the gap to the current leader during tomorrow’s stage and secure a podium position while also fighting for the rally win.

It was a really long and really fast stage today. It was very dusty this morning too, which made the navigation even more difficult. I made a few small mistakes, but I really did try my best all day pushing as hard as I could. Finally I was able to make the finish with a good time and it puts me in a good position for tomorrow, so we’ll see what happens. - Matthias Walkner

After his win on day 10, Toby Price had the unenviable task of opening today’s ultra-tough stage 11. An issue early on where a waypoint didn’t validate correctly for the Australian put him on the back foot for the rest of the special. However, using his skill and speed, the twice Dakar Champion was able to regroup and keep pushing through the arduous terrain. Ultimately completing the stage in 28th, Toby now lies 10th in the overall standings with one day left to race.

It was super dusty today and navigation was tough, but I had a frustrating problem early on at kilometer four where one waypoint didn’t validate, even though I’m pretty sure I was in the right place. I had to zig-zag back and forward and thankfully in the end, even though I was on the same track, it activated. Hopefully we can have that checked, but other than that the day went ok, I felt good on the bike and arrived safely at the finish line. One more day to go tomorrow, and that will be the 2022 Dakar complete. - Toby Price

Continuing to impress, and despite the severity of today’s stage, Danilo Petrucci brought his Tech3 KTM 450 RALLY home in a commendable 17th place, just over 23 minutes down on the eventual stage winner. With one more day remaining, the former MotoGP racer is now just 680 kilometers away from completing his first Dakar Rally.

It was one of the toughest days of my life today. I got a little lost early on with some other riders and then after that there were some really soft dunes. I have never seen anything like that before, it was really tiring to ride through. Then we raced through a huge sandstorm where it was really difficult to find your way and stay focused on your navigation. Luckily, after the refueling it was ok - the sand was still really soft, but it wasn’t so tricky. Unfortunately at one point I hit a piece of wood that was hidden underneath the sand and I had a big crash and hurt my shoulder. I was able to make it to the finish, but it did give me a lot of pain. We have one more day to go, so I’m looking forward to reaching the finish. - Danilo Petrucci

• Luciano Benavides Battles Through Dakar Stage 11

Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Luciano Benavides has completed the hugely demanding stage 11 of the Dakar Rally in 26th place. Following his excellent runner-up performance on Wednesday’s stage 10, the FR 450 Rally rider was the second competitor to take to today’s challenging special where he soon found himself up front and opening much of the route.

Totalling 501 kilometers, stage 11 of the Dakar included an extremely tough 346-kilometer timed special that tested riders with a combination of soft sand dunes, faster tracks and canyons, with technically demanding navigation throughout. Although setting off near the front proved to be a disadvantage, Benavides rode extremely well, focusing on his roadbook and safely making his way through the special without any major issues.

Another stage done, and it was super tough today. Probably not the best day to start in front, but I did my best as always and I think I did a good job. The navigation was very tricky and with the dunes being so soft it would have been easy for the guys starting behind to make up time. I was able to catch up with Toby (Price) ahead of me and we took it in turns to open the stage. I lost some time, but not enough to affect my position in the overall. There is one day left so I will go out tomorrow and do my best to finish the race strong. - Luciano Benavides

Completing the day as 26th fastest, less than 30 minutes down on the eventual stage winner, Luciano lies 13th overall in the event standings and will enjoy a strong start position for the final day of the race – the 680-kilometre stage 12. The young Argentinean’s primary goal is to successfully complete the stage and earn his first Dakar finish riding for the Husqvarna Factory Racing team.

• Stage 10 - January 12, 2022

• Stage 10 Top 10 Results

1. Toby Price (KTM) 3:05:32
2. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 3:07:41
3. Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha) 3:09:07
4. Joan Barreda Bort (Honda) 3:10:53
5. Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) 3:11:12
6. Andrew Short (Yamaha) 3:12:01
7. Stefan Svitko (Slovnaft) 3:12:01
8. Maciej Giemza (Orlen) 3:12:16
9. Rui Gonçalves (Sherco) 3:12:21
10. Martin Michek (Orion) 3:13:00

• Overall Top 10 Results

1. Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha)
2. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda)
3. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS)
4. Matthias Walkner (KTM)
5. Joan Barreda Bort (Honda)
6. Toby Price (KTM)
7. Andrew Short (Yamaha)
8. Mason Klein (KTM)
9. Ricky Brabec (Honda)
10. Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (Honda)

• Toby Price Wins Dakar Stage Ten

A long, 759-kilometer day in the saddle lay ahead of the riders as they entered stage 10 of the rally from Wadi Ad Dawasir to Bisha. The 375-kilometer timed special was mostly made up of fast sandy tracks, with a couple of dirt sections and dunes adding to the mix. Although navigation was relatively straightforward, it was still easy to make a costly mistake when picking a route through the stage.

Despite his relatively late start position into today’s special, Toby Price decided to remain completely focused on his roadbook throughout the stage. The tactic paid off as the two-time Dakar champ delivered a near-faultless run through the challenging stage, slowly moving up the order and taking the lead on time by kilometer 250. Toby’s win moves him up to sixth in the provisional rally standings where he trails the current event leader by just under 28 minutes. A sizeable gap, but one the Aussie hopes to reduce over the final two days of racing.

It’s been a really good day for me today. I focused on my roadbook the whole way and did a good job with my navigation with only a couple of small mistakes over the whole stage. I’ve moved nicely up the order overall, but there is still a bit of a gap to the front guys. As we know, anything can happen in rally, so I’ll give it my all for these last two days and we’ll see where we end up. - Toby Price

Setting off as the fourth rider to enter today’s special, Matthias Walkner caught and passed the riders ahead of him by the halfway point, and from there had the unenviable task of opening what was arguably the toughest part of the stage. A couple of small errors ended up with the Austrian losing several minutes to his rivals, but despite the setback, Matthias still lies well within the top five overall and will enjoy a strong start position for tomorrow’s penultimate stage 11.

The Dakar is always a little bit up and down and today after I hit the front, I lost some time with a couple of small mistakes. The sun was really high today and it made visibility quite bad