Danilo Petrucci successfully completed the 2022 Dakar Rally on his first attempt, completing the twelfth and final 680km stage just outside the top 30.
The Italian made history as the first MotoGP rider to win a Dakar stage on Day 5, but had already retired from the overall race due to an earlier electrical failure that forced his KTM to be salvaged.
Focused on completing the finish of the grueling Saudi Arabian event, which was also his first-ever competitive rally raid appearance, Petrucci was left sore by several serious accidents and had to overcome the inevitable fatigue of driving 8,000km.
“I’m so happy to finally reach the finish line and achieve the goal I set out to achieve. It’s been a tough time, both before the event and before the race itself, but doing my first Dakar feels great on,” Petrucci said.
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“I’m really happy with my performance, but I’ve had a few crashes in the last few days and I’m feeling quite sore at the moment. Thanks to the whole team for their hard work, it’s been an amazing experience and one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”
Victory in the motorcycle class went to GASGAS rider Sam Sunderland, who fended off Honda’s Pablo Quintanilla by just 3m27s while KTM’s Matthias Walkner completed the podium (+6m47s).
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“This win feels better than the first because this win was anything but easy,” said Sunderland. “The times were so tight this year and we didn’t have time to step on the gas, it was a really close race, right up to the end.”
While Petrucci insists this won’t be his last Dakar, the two-time MotoGP race winner is now certain to return to the tarmac for Ducati in MotoAmerica this season.
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