HOME > Latest News > 2022 > Issue #2
Issue #2:January 4, 2022
The real competition at the 2022 Dakar Rally began on January 2nd with stage 1B and an SS (competition stage) looping from Ha’il in the north over a distance of around 333 km. TLC’s Toyota Land Cruiser 200 cars competing in the production car category saw Akira Miura (Toyota Auto Body staff) and Laurent Lichtleuchter in car #242 take 51st place overall in the car category and 1st place in the production car category. Ronald Basso and Jean-Michel Polato in car #245 came in at 63rd place overall and 3rd in the production car category. This brings the cumulative ranking for car #242 to 51st overall and 1st in the production car category, and for car #245, to 63rd overall and 3rd in the category.
The one-two formation has split for the time being with car #245 being outdone by car #296 with Christophe Girard (Toyota Land Cruiser) who took 2nd place in the category, leading by just 13 minutes and 21 seconds.
Stage 1A on the previous day was only 19 km long – just a quick taste of things to come – but from today the real Dakar stages begin, covering hundreds of kilometers every day. For this stage, competitors traveled west to a 59.9 km liaison from the bivouac just outside of Ha’il and then ran a long clockwise loop SS stage of 333.18 km across mountainous terrain. After reaching the end of the stage they continued on to a 121.30 km liaison back to the bivouac in Ha’il.
Most of the SS consisted of sandy tracks full of steep downhill sections coming down from the dunes, as well as rocky terrain with many variations. In the beginning of the stage the course weaved through large sand dunes and continued along winding sandy terrain. With many forks and other challenges, the mandatory GPS waypoints were hard to find, making this stage challenging for navigators too.
Team Miura in car #242 made a strong start on this SS and had no punctures, but the soft sand resulted in them getting stuck four times. Later on in the stage they had difficulty finding waypoints and lost some time, making it an eventful day. Team Basso in car #245 punctured the rear right tire on some stones at the 150 km mark and were delayed when they got stuck, costing them a place in the rankings. However, despite the challenges in this stage, both cars made it without any major issues. Soon after the cars returned, the mechanics quickly and attentively started inspections and repairs.
A section from Ha’il to Al Artawiya was planned for the 3rd, but due to rain in the region the bivouac was flooded, so the organizers cancelled the Al Artawiya bivouac. While the SS remains unchanged, cars had to make their way to the next bivouac in Al Qaisumah after completing the SS. A marathon stage, where support teams are absent, was planned from the Al Artawiya bivouac, but as a result of these changes the marathon stage was cancelled.
Miura (driver): The new tires feel great on this course. While we were aiming to reach the finish without getting stuck, unfortunately that didn’t happen. Rainfall from the previous day affected us and the sand was just really difficult to drive on. Tomorrow is a new day, and we will be focusing our efforts once more.
Basso (driver): With the stage starting later in the day, we were faced with darkening conditions on the way. Due to yesterday’s rain the sand had hardened unevenly in certain places, making it a difficult course and noticeably more challenging. It was a rough day, but we have a long way to go, and we’ll be honing our efforts for the rest of the rally.