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00:09Welcome to the empty quarter in the Liwa Desert, where the dunes rise and fall as far as the eye
00:17can see.
00:20This is the majestic setting for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
00:28A five-day motorsport spectacular, which has been testing the world's finest riders and drivers for more than 30 years.
00:42Here we can find probably the most higher dunes in the Middle East.
00:50For me it's the first time here. It's good to be here.
00:54This is never easy. Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is called that for a reason.
00:58You spend all your time on the dunes.
01:01Desert Challenge is always a good one.
01:03Now is the first time I'm doing a full championship and expectation is to fight for the victory for sure.
01:12It's the second stop on the New Look 2022 FIA and FIM World Rally Raid Championship, following on from the
01:19Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia in January.
01:22Five special stages over five days, covering more than 1,300 competitive kilometres.
01:29You ready? You ready? You ready? You ready? You ready? You ready for action!
01:32Action! You ready for action!
01:40For the first day of competition, set in the rolling Al-Dafra landscape, all eyes were on three current Dakar
01:46winners.
01:47In the cars, Nasser Al-Attiyah from Qatar, three-time winner in Abu Dhabi and the defending champion.
01:55In the lightweight vehicles, Francisco Chilico López from Chile, returning to Abu Dhabi after an absence of 10 years.
02:05And in the bikes, Britain's Sam Sunderland, the 2019 World Rally Raid champion, who made his desert debut here in
02:132011.
02:14As is traditional, the bikes led off in the morning.
02:17A long, invariably solo day lay ahead for man and machine in some of the toughest terrain in the world.
02:24And Sunderland, in his new gas-gas racing colours, followed up that debut success by going fastest in the stage.
02:31In the T3 category in the lightweight vehicles, López and his Italian co-driver, Paolo Cecchi, came in second behind
02:38the surprise stage winner, Belgium's Guillaume de Mevius of the Red Bull off-road junior team.
02:45The big drama of the day, however, was reserved for the car category, where there was huge excitement over the
02:51prospect of the king of the dunes, Nasser Al-Attiyah, going head-to-head against nine-time World Rally champion
02:56Sebastian Lerb.
02:57And Mr. Dakar himself, Stefan Petterhansel, making his second competitive start in the Audi RS Q e-tron with its
03:06electrified drivetrain.
03:10Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Bommel had barely fired up their title defence before their Toyota Hilux damaged its
03:18front right wheel and had to retire from the stage.
03:20Their chance of victory was gone on day one.
03:24After 5km, we had a small drop and then it was not really a big impact, you know, but we
03:32lose the front right wheel.
03:35Yeah, it's not the best start of the rally for sure, not what we expected, but it's part of the
03:42game, so it's motorsport.
03:44But now it's game over, you know, for today.
03:47You forget for the victory, so four stages remaining and some points to take for the championship.
03:55And the Rube al-Khali Desert then claimed another victim as Lerb's pro-drive hunter lost 90 minutes because of
04:02a broken drive shaft.
04:04Like Al-Attiyah, his dreams of victory were buried in the sand.
04:22So far, so calm for Petter Hansel and co-driver Edouard Boulanger, who took charge of the stage and finished
04:29nine and a half minutes clear of the field.
04:31It couldn't have been a better opening to back up their finishing flourish on the Dakar, where the three Audi
04:38cars had been fastest in the second week.
04:41The sport's newest and boldest entrant was bringing the future even closer and faster than expected.
04:55I cannot say one word. Everything around it's nice. It's just magic.
05:01It gives a big smile.
05:04I think that this is really the future of motorsport.
05:09It's groundbreaking.
05:10In my opinion, it's a lifetime project, honestly, because it's not every day that a brand like Audi is coming
05:16to the cross-country.
05:18We had really a lot of downturns in the beginning and even about three, four months before the Dakar, we
05:24were not quite sure if we can manage to have everything ready.
05:28The performance of the car was a good surprise. In total, we were on four stages with Carlos, Mathias and
05:35me. So this is a good result for the first year.
05:38To finish the Dakar, it was really important. At the end, with the three cars, we finished the race.
05:46Bringing this new technology to the extreme, it's really exciting all of us.
05:54Clearly, it's a new environment for us because we never face so much sand and we never face such high
06:01temperatures.
06:02So we are really at the limit probably at what our car is able to support.
06:07You can really focus on your driving speed, your driving technical, because you don't need to change the gear.
06:14So you have always two hands on the wheel and you can play more with the car.
06:20I am where I want to be. It's not only being a good driver in cross-country, it's being next
06:26to Stefan, which is really important for me.
06:28And then we are together in the best team.
06:32For sure, we have a good start. If we can win the race, it will be really great.
06:44Dawn in the desert can be a magical time. The silence, the anticipation, the ritual of preparation where everything feels
06:54possible before a wheel turns in anger.
07:14Stage two was always going to be the most demanding of the rally. It was the longest at 316 kilometers
07:20through the Al Dafra dunes.
07:22Made even more grueling because the desert temperatures touch 40 degrees.
07:27But Argentina's 2021 Dakar winner, Kevin Benavides, rose to the challenge in style.
07:34The new man to catch for KTM as overall leader in the bikes.
07:41For Nasser Alatia, high temperatures meant just one thing. High speed. And the Qatari flew across the sand to set
07:49the fastest time ahead of Sebastian Loeb.
07:54Today I was really very happy with the performance and we tried to push and this is, it's given me
08:01more confidence, you know, for tomorrow also.
08:05He and the Frenchman are chasing bonus points through stage wins to bolster their world championship challenge.
08:11In contrast, another French superstar, Stefan Paterhansel, had no need for such heroics.
08:17His big early lead had given the Audi team a healthy cushion to manage their pace.
08:25Clearly it was an evidence for us that Nasser will push today because he was really fast in the dunes,
08:30he had nothing to lose anymore.
08:31He wanted to win stages for the championship so it was clearly not our target to follow him.
08:39Elsewhere, Francisco Chaleco Lopez had risen to the top in the lightweight vehicles after winning the stage and the early
08:45pace setter Guillaume Domivius failed to finish.
08:50Overall, it was Lopez from Cristina Gutierrez and Seth Quintero, now the leading contenders from the Red Bull off-road
08:57junior team.
09:04With the heat and fury of the day spent, Parc Fermet became a scene of quiet purpose and hard work
09:11for champions like Sam Sunderland, still fourth, and Matthias Wagner.
09:16Because this was the marathon stage where no outside assistance was allowed at the overnight bivouac.
09:21The riders were on their own to prepare for the next day, but nothing is ever left to chance. Safety
09:29and security are paramount in the desert.
09:34Hello from Abu Dhabi, this is Jordi Villadombs, welcome to Tech Time.
09:51Today I'm going to show you the safety equipment that the riders use in the rally ride races.
09:56What you saw now is the airbag vest that explodes in the air automatically when the rider is crashing to
10:02prevent big injuries.
10:06An important device is the tracking system. We have under the seat, and with this device the organizer can control
10:14where the rider is in all the moment.
10:17And these, for example, have sensors that know if the riders crash and it could activate automatically the accident protocol.
10:25Also, there are some buttons. The red one would be to activate the emergency protocol in case an helicopter is
10:31needed.
10:32The green one is to say that you are stopped but nothing happened.
10:36And the blue one is to talk with the organizer if they ask about the situation.
10:41It's mandatory that the riders carry all the time safety material in case of accident.
10:46In our case, the riders have it behind the ferry, and we have this bag, and I will show you
10:51what is inside.
10:53Well, we have a rocket in case the rider stays during the night in the desert and has to be
10:59localized.
11:00This is an old-fashioned system, but it still works.
11:03A thermal blanket in case it's too hot or too cold that they can cover.
11:07Some basic equipment in case to make some first IDs.
11:13We have also a light to make a flash. Like this, you could see the rider.
11:20And also some pills for the headache or also one pill that makes any kind of water potable that the
11:27rider could drink.
11:29And of course, in the desert, you need a compass.
11:33Fortunately, during my career, I never had to use any of the fancy systems, but of course, I really would
11:38like always to use this one.
11:48If the night was long to make the necessary repairs in Parc Fermet, the start of Stage 3 emphasized the
11:54task ahead for those competing on two wheels.
11:57There would be many hours in the dunes before team mechanics could make their expertise count for the next service
12:03stop.
12:04Yet the brotherhood of bikers was epitomized by the presence of Kevin Benavides and younger brother Luciano, still waiting for
12:12his first stage win.
12:20And that weight continued because reigning world champion Matthias Walkner was fastest, rating it one of the best stages of
12:27his life.
12:32.
12:44But his best was still not enough to prevent his former KTM teammate Sam Sunderland from taking the overall lead,
12:52going clear by almost four and a half minutes.
12:56Fresh from his second Dakar success, the 32-year-old Britten has found new momentum with his new team, Gas
13:02Gas Racing.
13:13I think the image is that we're all crazy doing what we do, but if you were really crazy, you
13:19wouldn't last long.
13:23We're actually like the most calculated guys you could ever meet, and every single move we do in the desert
13:29is like a calculation.
13:32When he has his days to push, he can push like hell, and this is what makes him really strong.
13:37Because it's so long and tough, and there's no way you can ride 10,000 kilometers without having drama along
13:46the way.
13:48The Dakar is 10,000 kilometers, and you can lose all of it in 10 meters.
13:59He's the mix of speed and navigation, and I think he's one of the best who knows how fast he
14:06can go to be safe on the road book.
14:16Winning Dakar for Sam was, I think, was a huge effort. Again, he had a really, really tough last year.
14:22This is why we're all super proud for Sam to reach that top step off the podium again.
14:30Knowing what I went through to get it is what makes it feel so good, you know. Just standing in
14:35the sun a bit more.
14:36It was quite refreshing to change colors, change kit, and I took it as a positive, you know, and just
14:43rolled with it.
14:45I was lucky to keep my same mechanic, really, so me and him have a really good relationship.
14:51For me, he's not just a fast rider. He's a really nice person.
14:56He has spent so many years here in the desert. He takes things easy and he does not stress. He
15:02just knows what he has to do and focuses on his business, and I think this is really the key
15:07for his success.
15:08Send it for the boys.
15:10Sure to win the world championship is the goal. I think he wins.
15:16Winning is always the driving force for Nassar Alatia.
15:22And for the second day running, he and Mathieu Bommel were fastest through the stage. Again, too quick for Sébastien
15:28Loeb.
15:30Of course, we are happy. Again, a victory. So, one more point against Sébastien Loeb and Fabien Lurquin. So, for
15:37the championship, it's good.
15:40But out in front, overall, Stefan Peterhansson increased his Audi's lead to half an hour.
15:50Poland's Kuba Przonski and Timo Gottschalk are third, despite struggling in their mini JCW buggy for pace against the new,
15:58improved T1 Plus cars driven by Alatia and Loeb.
16:02We were pushing the limits, I think, of this car. And compared now to T1 Plus cars, we are a
16:09little bit too slow with the car. And this, for sure, we need to work with the car or to
16:15have front wheel drive, because it's really hard here on the dunes with this kind of buggy car.
16:20In the lightweight vehicles, there was no holding Chalico Lopez, even if he was slowed by a drive shaft problem.
16:28Still the overall leader from Cristina Gutierrez and Seth Quintero.
16:37After a record-breaking run of 12 stage wins on the Dakar rally, Quintero had had high hopes of doing
16:43well in Abu Dhabi. But his challenge has never got going in the dunes, and he again lost more than
16:48an hour after a rear differential broke.
16:52That sucks.
16:55Cristina Gutierrez kept hoping for a mistake by Lopez to improve her chances of victory. But in this form, could
17:01anyone catch a red-hot Chile performer in his Cana Maverick?
17:05The 46-year-old South American, with an impressive CV on two wheels as well as four, was unstoppable. More
17:11than nine minutes clear of last year's World Cup winner, with just one stage to go.
17:18When I met him the first time, he had the oldest car, he slept in the Casua tent, he woke
17:24up in the morning, he had some special cream, put in his face, and I look at this guy, who
17:29is this mother?
17:33My name is Francisco Chalico Lopez. My energy is very feeling good for the sun.
17:45He's a really complete driver. He knows how to navigate, he knows how to drive cars, so he knows the
17:51desert very well.
17:53I don't say that it's mission impossible, it's very, very difficult to beat him when he's 100% on the
18:01dunes. He's really, really fast.
18:05It's very important for me and my team, it's the fight every day.
18:17He's clever, he's fast, and he bursts in the desert, so when it's only dune and when it's like this,
18:24more or less the Chile style.
18:26Ay, ay, ay, Chalico is fast.
18:30Yeah, Chalico, I've seen amazing journeys on Dakar many, many times.
18:35If you come to him, for sure he's a really great guy, he can give you good tips.
18:41Chalico is very nice. He knows everything about rally ride. He won two Dakars, if I remember well.
18:48I think I learned a lot about how he did the rally.
18:53Now it's very important to fight every day for the World Championship, attack from Chalico for this year.
19:05Typically, Nasser Al-Atiyah maintained his scorching pace, taking out an extra three minutes over Lerb to win the stage.
19:12But the fight for honours in the bikes was hotting up, with even greater intensity.
19:21Sam Sunderland retained the overall lead, but his advantage had been cut dramatically to just 23 seconds, with the top
19:29four covered by only two and a half minutes, with former winner Toby Price among the contenders.
19:34Little wonder Luciano Benavides was so happy to have risen to the challenge by winning a stage for the first
19:41time.
19:41Ninth overall, but who's counting after this breakthrough moment?
19:46I just focus on me, on my energy, and try to be smooth, feel good with the bike, feel the
19:53flow, and try to enjoy. That was the most important.
19:57The 26-year-old Argentine could have been speaking for all leading challengers as they prepared themselves for the final
20:03day.
20:04Who could forget last November's drama in Abu Dhabi, when Daniel Sanders ran out of fuel and dropped off the
20:11podium?
20:21Each day of competition has its own rhythm, its particular sense of occasion.
20:26But there's nothing like the final stage, when the finishing positions will be confirmed and the points awarded.
20:34The expectation and the apprehension are constant companions, no matter how many times you win, it's how you manage them
20:42and ensure they become friends, not damaging enemies.
20:45And Sam Sunderland showed how it's done. The 2022 Dakar winner underlined his renewed appetite for rally raid by not
20:53only keeping his lead, but increasing it to win by more than three minutes for back-to-back victories in
20:59this new look world championship.
21:04Yeah, for sure, it's always nice to win any race. The third one on here in the Desert Challenge, the
21:10second win on the Gas Gas, so really grateful for the team.
21:13It's nice to reward the work from everybody and get this win, and it looks like the red colour suits
21:18me.
21:18Another Dakar winner made it a double in the T3 category of the lightweight vehicles.
21:23Cristina Gutierrez may have taken the stage win, but she had no answer overall to Chaleco Lopez, the dominant force
21:30for a comprehensive victory, emphasizing to his rivals what they're up against in 2022.
21:35He also landed the third overall podium spot, a mighty return after 10 years away from this event.
21:47Seth Quintero, hampered by mechanical issues on three days out of the five, was a long way back in third
21:53overall. A race to forget.
21:56In the cars, Nasser Alatia duly completed four stage wins in a row with Mathieu Bommel, some compensation for that
22:03broken wishbone on the first day, which smashed their hopes of overall victory.
22:10Yeah, it's not easy, but OK, I'm quite happy to win all the four stages and to be the fastest
22:15driver here.
22:16We'll take a lot of things from here. We have a lot of data now and to make the cars
22:21more strong and more fast.
22:25Sebastian Loeb was third fastest on the stage, fourth overall on his Abu Dhabi debut.
22:31But the star of the day, without a doubt, was his fellow countryman, Stefan Petter Hansel.
22:37The 56-year-old 14-time Dakar winner won the car category for a record seventh time, for an overall
22:43record equaling eight wins in Abu Dhabi.
22:45And more than that, on only his second start in the Audi RS Q e-tron, the Frenchman is the
22:52undisputed first driver to win a rally with an electric drivetrain.
22:57This is a great day today, you know. Now we show that Audi takes a good direction. We won a
23:04race with an electric car, so I'm really, really happy for the team and we are really proud to be
23:08a part of this project.
23:10It was a time for celebration, a piece of motorsport history achieved in a hothouse of rally raid rivalry.
23:19The race result means that after two rounds, the championship standings look like this.
23:24In the cars, Sebastian Loeb leads Nasser Alatia by just a point.
23:29Sam Sunderland leads the bikes by 17 points.
23:32And Jaleca Lopez is even further ahead in the T3 lightweight vehicles.
23:45Can't hear what you're shouting, I'm down to your shoulder.
23:49You need to lose your self-control.
23:52Everybody gets high, everybody gets low.
23:57Like there's a dumber dove.
24:00Up on the moon, sad and sea down below.
24:04It's easy to lose the source of spinal.
24:07In the in-between.
24:14In the in-between.
24:16In the in-between.
24:16oh queen!
24:17.
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