D-1: it’s the final countdown

December 31 ^st 2022 - 08:21 [GMT + 3]

The year is coming to a close in Jeddah with a race against the clock to welcome the remaining riders, drivers and crews for the 44th edition of the Dakar. The second day of administrative checks and technical scrutineering will witness the visits of a major part of the favourites in the leading categories. As the day breaks, we will see the arrival of the bikers representing KTM, determined to regain their grip on the prize, with pretenders such as Mathias Walkner, Toby Price and the recently recruited title holder Kevin Benavides. In the aisles of the King Abdallah Stadium, the race officials will also be inspecting the light prototypes (T3) belonging to the OT3-RedBull team, with Gutiérrez as boss, tasked with taking the battle to Chilean “Chaleco” López, leader of the South Racing squad. The main attraction of the day will be the passage in front of the inspectors and also television cameras of the Audi RS Q e-tron, a hybrid engine 4x4 whose entry into action is keenly awaited by everyone, especially their star drivers, Stéphane Peterhansel and Carlos Sainz. The new cars’ reliability will be a key factor in determining whether the last two winners can still aim for the title and compete with the new version of the Toyota Hilux entrusted to the clear favourite Nasser Al Attiyah, as well as to Giniel De Villiers and Yazeed Al Rajhi, the darling of the Saudi nation.