Dakar 2023: The favorites in cars

Carlos Sainz (Audi), Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota), Sébastien Loeb (BRX) and Stéphane Peterhansel (Audi). Dakar 2023 will be a battle of giantswith Toyota Qatari as the main favorite to defend its fourth title achieved with solvency in 2022.

Last year’s edition was marked by a controversial point in the road book for the first time, on stage 1B, which left Carlos Sainz and Stéphane at the start peterhanselwith the Al Attiyah only has to worry about managing his good advantage in two weeks of racing over the 9-time World Rally Champion, Sébastien Loeb, who after 6 participations is still unable to lift the coveted scepter. Another element that marked that edition was the Audi premiere with an ambitious car, with an electric motor and a very complex system. The company with the four rings finished the car before the Dakar. He couldn’t do any previous races and it affected him in the first week, besides having to face the Dakar with a car with 200 kilos more.

Sainz’s Audi, a perfect car

A year later, the scenario is very different. ASO (the Dakar organization) will be careful in designing the ‘roadbook’ so as not to make the same mistake again. Equality and uncertainty should be greater. And besides, Audi is coming with the perfect car. The German firm managed to reduce the weight by around 80 kg compared to the 2022 car and styled the car with refined and better aerodynamics. In 2022, Audi managed to win 4 stages and was consistently at the top every day. The car is very fast and this year it should be even faster. Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz will go all out, as will their teammate, ‘Monsieur Dakar’ Stéphane Peterhansel (champion of 6 Dakars by motorcycle and 8 by car) and Matthias Ekstrom. Of course, they will do so with controversial regulations that take away some power despite having a minimum weight that is 100 kilograms higher than their direct rivals.

The official Toyota

Now, the question is whether the Audi will be fast enough to beat the Nasser Al-Attiyah’s Toyota Hilux T1+, reigning champion. The Qatari, who had a big advantage from the start, focused on management and did not show his enormous speed in 2022. This year, if things are equal, he will have to push himself to the maximum. He had already done it at the premiere of the first one World Rally-Raid FIA W2RCwhere he won the crown in the final round against Sébastien Loeb. Toyota will also have a young diamond, Henk Lategan, and the veteran De Villiers.

Bahrain and Loeb, with more certainty

But you have to go to the Bahrain Raid Xtreme team to find another favourite: Sébastien Loeb. The team should have learned from last year and from the whole W2RC World Championship to face the Dakar with more reliability, even without one of the greats like Nani Roma in their ranks, the great absent in cars. Another incentive is to see the race debut of the new MINI X-Raid T1+, with two units in contention.

Cristina Gutiérrez (T3) and Gerard Farrés (T4)

In Side by Side (light vehicles), equality will be maximum in its two categories. In prototypes (T3), Christina Gutierrez will be one of the favorites for the title with all his teammates, from Red Bull Can-Am. In that leading group should be Santi Navarro (FN Speed), who wanted the podium that so cruelly eluded him last year due to a late breakdown.

In T4, Gerard Farres choose for success and will be among the great candidates. Last year, he had to stop when he was leading, in the final stage, for his teammate Jones to win. This year without having to help anyone in the beginning, you will be able to fight for the dream of your life together South Racing Can-Am.