Nine-time World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb seeks more glory at Dakar 2022 in Saudi Arabia

Sebastien Loeb at the wheel of the BRX Prodrive Hunter T1+ in preparation for 2022 Dakar Rally. (BRX)
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Updated 30 December 2021
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Nine-time World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb seeks more glory at Dakar 2022 in Saudi Arabia

  • Testing of Prodrive Hunter T1+ has put Bahrain Raid Xtreme team in a confident mood ahead of the world’s most arduous car race

DUBAI: The 2022 Dakar Rally gets under way in Saudi Arabia on Saturday and nine-time World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb believes he can add to his remarkable winning record with Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX).

The French driver, along with 2014 Dakar winner Nani Roma and Orlando Terranova, will tackle the world’s most arduous motor race at the wheel of the Prodrive Hunter T1+, each of the three BRX cars powered by a new sustainable fuel.

Roma finished fifth in last year’s Dakar, the highest finish recorded by a team on its debut in the event, and the three BRX team-mates believe that a much better result is possible this time, particularly after two weeks of intense testing in the UAE deserts earlier this month.

“The Dakar is always so tricky, and you need to put everything together; the driving, the navigation, to have a strong car and to avoid mistakes,” said Loeb.

“We did a bit of everything during our test in the UAE to prepare for Dakar, and following that, we have genuinely started to think about winning the rally.”

The 2022 Dakar Rally is the opening round of the new FIA World Rally Raid Championship, which also includes the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Mar. 5-10), Rally Kazakhstan (April 24-30), the Andalucia Rally (June 6-12) and the Morocco Rally (Oct. 6-12).

The opening leg of the Dakar consists of a 595km liaison stage and a 19km special stage from Jeddah to Hail, which will decide the starting order for the following day’s 330-km stage.

Roma, one of only three competitors in Dakar history to have won both on a bike (2004) and in a car, said: “With a T1 + car with the larger wheels I can now maintain our speed in places where I never could before.

“The main thing is that the car is strong, and for me that is the main point following our test in the UAE as we spent long hours in the car. These are exciting times,” he added.

The new T1+ cars are heavier than the T1 cars but have the same power, and the drivers have had to adjust accordingly.

The BRX cars are running on the Prodrive EcoPower fuel that has been specifically developed for the Hunter and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent compared to petrol.

Terranova said: “The new car is incredible as it is very easy to drive and you feel confident for the speed and with the safety. It’s really such a superb job from the team to build this car, so if we can make first place that would be an incredible result.”


Liverpool rocked by last-gasp defeat at Wolves

Updated 04 March 2026
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Liverpool rocked by last-gasp defeat at Wolves

  • Liverpool’s first defeat in five games in all competitions will raise fresh questions about Slot’s Anfield future

LONDON: Liverpool suffered an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Wolves as Andre’s stoppage-time strike sealed a dramatic victory for the Premier League’s bottom club on Tuesday.
Arne Slot’s side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’ strike in the closing stages at Molineux.
Mohamed Salah hauled Liverpool level with his first goal in 11 top-flight games dating back to November.
But Andre’s first goal for Wolves inflicted the latest humbling loss in a chastening season for Liverpool.
It was the first time the Premier League’s bottom club had beaten the reigning champions since Crystal Palace defeated Chelsea in 2017.
Liverpool have conceded 14 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, with only Newcastle shipping more in the same period in the Premier League.
The Reds remain fifth but their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League have been hurt by a defeat that means sixth-placed Chelsea will go above them if they beat Aston Villa on Wednesday.
Liverpool’s first defeat in five games in all competitions will raise fresh questions about Slot’s Anfield future.
This was the first of Liverpool’s two trips to Molineux in the space of four days, with an immediate chance for revenge in the FA Cup fifth round on Friday.
Slot this week said he no longer finds Premier League matches a “joy to watch” due to the rise in set-piece goals, and Liverpool supporters took no pleasure from this dismal performance.
Wolves and Liverpool fans joined in a sustained round of applause on 18 minutes in memory of Diogo Jota, who wore that shirt number during his time at Molineux before joining the Reds.
Portugal forward Jota died in a car crash in Spain last year.

Crest-fallen Slot

That emotional tribute seemed to suck the energy from both teams in a scrappy first half.
Liverpool were punished for their lethargy in the 78th minute.
Tolu Arokodare got away with a nudge on Virgil van Dijk to win the ball before playing a superb pass to Rodrigo Gomes, who held off Ibrahima Konate and guided a clinical finish past Alisson Becker.
Liverpool finally awoke from their slumber after that shock, grabbing an equalizer in the 83rd minute with a helping hand from Wolves.
Wolves midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was guilty of a woeful pass that Salah intercepted, racing into the area for a shot that eluded Jose Sa’s weak attempted save.
Salah has scored just eight goals — five in the league — during a turbulent season.
Liverpool were still creaky at the back and Andre pounced on Alisson’s poor clearance four minutes to steal the points in stoppage-time.
Andre’s powerful strike deflected off Liverpool defender Joe Gomez and looped over the wrong-footed Alisson as Wolves boss Rob Edwards sprinted down the touchline in a wild celebration while Slot looked on crestfallen.
Wolves are 11 points from safety with eight games left and relegation remains almost certain despite this memorable victory.
Everton ended their dismal home form and pushed Burnley closer to relegation with a 2-0 win at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Buoyed by their 3-2 win at Newcastle last weekend, Everton dispatched second-bottom Burnley with their first win in eight home league matches.
Former Burnley defender James Tarkowski put Everton in front with a powerful header from James Garner’s 32nd minute free-kick.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall doubled Everton’s advantage on the hour taking Iliman Ndiaye’s pass and clipping a composed finish past Martin Dubravka from six yards.
Everton remain in contention for a European berth, while Burnley are eight points from safety with just nine games left.
Habib Diarra’s penalty fired Sunderland to a 1-0 victory against Leeds on their first Premier League visit to Elland Road since 2002.
Bournemouth and Brentford shared a goalless draw at the Vitality Stadium that did little to improve either side’s hopes of qualifying for Europe.