Dakar drivers having to adapt driving style for new 2022 cars

In order to provide a level-playing field between a wide variety of cars, including Audi’s new electric-powered RS Q e-tron, the ASO has heavily modified the regulations for the 44th running of the Dakar in Saudi Arabia.

Chiefly, the width of all 4x4 cars has been raised from 2m to 2.3m and suspension travel has been increased from 280mm to 350mm, while the size of the tyres have gone up from 32 inches to 37 inches.

After securing a top-five finish on its Dakar debut older this year, the Prodrive-run Bahrain Raid Xtreme team has completely revamped its contender equal to the new ruleset, with the Hunter T1 ECOpower featuring upgraded bodywork, drivetrain and suspension.

The outfit has moreover switched to a untried biofuel which offers 80% reduction in greenhouse emissions compared to traditional petrol.

Roma will be one of the three drivers to represent the Bahrain-flagged, British-run team in the upcoming edition of the Dakar, joining World Rally Championship legend Sebastien Loeb and newcomer Orlando Terranova in an expanded three-car line-up.

Asked how the new cars were impacting his style of driving, Roma told Autosport: “It is an important issue. It has forced me to learn many new things, considering the drivers who had once competed with big wheels used to wade the bumps, camel grass and to squatter the track in a variegated way. 

“I still need a little increasingly to be sure that the wheel and suspension can go through unrepealable places. I have had to rebalance my driving style considering now we can pass unrepealable obstacles with much increasingly speed than with the normal 4x4. 

“But, on the other hand, we weigh 150kg more, we have larger wheels, increasingly grip, and with the same engine, and that has made us lose a bit of agility, expressly in acceleration. It forces us to restriction less and maintain increasingly speed.”

Nani Roma, Bahrain Raid Xtreme BRX T1

Photo by: Bahrain Raid Xtreme team

The 2022 Dakar Rally will take place entirely in Saudi Arabia like the previous two editions of the event, with a total of 12 stages spread wideness two weeks from January 1-14.

However, in a major transpiration from previous years, the marathon leg of the rally-raid will encompass stages 2 and 3, potentially leading to multiple retirements early on.

Roma admits that the timing of the marathon “worries” him, as the drivers tend to use the opening days of the event to get used to the prevailing conditions.

“No doubt this is what worries me the most,” said the Spaniard of the marathon. “Already on the second day, but in the first bivouac, you leave for the marathon. 

“This is worrying considering people are still positioning themselves for the race. For me it is very important to get to the third day without problems and then we can go increasingly relaxed. A marathon is usually without the rest day, but the good and the bad thing is that it is the same for everyone.”