Race23 août 2021
1st – 14th of January of 2022, all the fans eyes are on a race as fascinating as dangerous, the world’s most famous rally, the 44th edition of the Dakar Rally.
Airoh participated many times in this competition and many riders with the legendary Aviator have already conquered the podium of this adventurous desert challenge several times.
Today was races the final stage, riders came back on Gedda after 8.375km, 4.258 of which were special stages.
An emotional race rich in rush ended after witnessing the incredible performance of the Airohriders, able to conquer exceptional results. The just ended 2021 enriched the Airoh palmares, that on December had 110 world titles, the 2022 couldn’t start better.
A really roaring start of the year thanks to the performance of great riders with really incredible careers, on which it’s worth stopping.
Sam Sunderland has always stood out for his talent, just think that he appeared on the British motocross scene at the tender age of 7 and that, in his early twenties, he debuted in the Dakar Rally, winning it just 5 years later. These are just a few pieces of the British rider career that, once again, this year has given great emotions conquering exceptional results able to enrich both his palmares and the Airoh one.
Pablo Quintanilla is one of the most important rally riders of the Chile’s history, he has always distinguished himself by his grit and determination, fundamental valves that allowed him to become, at age 15, the Chilean and South American motocross champion in the 85cc, and to debut in the Dakar Rally before turning 30. The Chilean rider has always done his utmost to achieve his goals, and this tenancy help him to make his career so incredible and noteworthy.
For the Airoh Family today is a very special day, conquer the first and the second steps of the podium of the 44th edition of the Dakar Rally is something that… leaves speechless!
Sam Sunderland: “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. 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.”
Pablo Quintanilla: “I am very happy with the result and my performance throughout the whole race, especially during the second week, which I managed well, making up time with a steady performance. I am very pleased and I wish to thank the whole Monster Energy Honda Team for their incredible work over these weeks. It was a really tough race, with a lot of tension, but I'm happy. Today there was second place at stake and there was even a chance of winning the race. It didn’t turn out that way, but I'm still happy with the second place finish. Now it's time to enjoy this moment”.
2022 Dakar Rally | final rankingl
P01 | Sam Sunderland (GasGas)
P02 | Pablo Quintanilla (Honda)
P11 | Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco)
P24 | Rui Gonçalves (Sherco)
credits: GasGas press center; Honda Racing Corporation; Sherco Racing
follow: Airoh Helmet Racing
