Bikesportnz

History has been made with the GasGas factory celebrating its first ever Dakar Rally win and Britain’s Sam Sunderland his second overall victory.

Yes indeed, Sunderland and GasGas have won the 2022 Dakar Rally, following on nicely from the Brit’s Dakar Rally victory for the KTM factory in 2017.

Since he became the first British winner of the Dakar in 2017, the now 32-year-old Sunderland (pictured here) has been working hard to get back on the top step of the podium.

He’s come pretty close, too: Third in 2019, behind then KTM team-mates Toby Price and Matthias Walkner, third again in 2021, behind Honda pair Kevin Benavides and Ricky Brabec.

Delivering exactly the kind of mature, considered performance we’ve come to expect of him over the past two weeks, in finishing eighth in the 12th and final stage of the 2022 edition of the event, Sunderland has claimed overall victory at this year’s 44th Dakar Rally.

And, at the end of 12 gruelling days of racing across the Saudi Arabian desert, Sunderland handed GasGas its first major win.

Monster Energy Honda Team rider Pablo Quintanilla won the final 2022 Dakar Rally stage to grab second overall place in the race and the Chilean rider finished just three-and-a-half minutes shy of Sunderland at the end of the arduous 12-day race.

Third best for the 2022 event was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team rider Matthias Walkner, the Austrian less than six minutes further back.

“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,” said Sunderland afterwards.

“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.”

Leading the race from stage two through to the end of stage six, the Dakar began perfectly for Sunderland.

Riding flawlessly throughout the two-week event, he delivered the goods on multiple occasions when the pressure was well and truly on.

Sunderland’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 past 22 years, Sunderland’s victory re-affirms the group’s commitment and ongoing success at the world’s toughest rally raid.

While it’s all about Sunderland right now and his amazing achievement, it wouldn’t be right to sign off from Dakar 2022 without giving his team-mate Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders the credit he deserves.

Australian rider Sanders claimed two amazing stage wins, and on the final day of racing in week one, led Sunderland home for a GasGas 1-2 finish.

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.

Photo courtesy GasGas

Full rally scores HERE

Find BikesportNZ.com on FACEBOOK here

RESULTS AND STANDINGS: