- Petrucci becomes first Former MotoGP rider to win a stage in Dakar
- Hero MotoSports Team Rally’s Joaquim Rodrigues suffered two crashes
- Sherco Factory rider Lorenzo Santolino finished in 20th position
Former MotoGP rider, Danilo Petrucci secured the top spot in the fifth stage of the 2022 Dakar Rally. The 31-year-old Italian, who represents Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing team, became the first former MotoGP rider to win in Dakar.
Meanwhile, Hero MotoSports Team Rally’s Joaquim Rodrigues, who won the third stage of the grueling rally, suffered two crashes during Stage Five. Rodrigues finished the stage in the 19th spot while his team mate, Aaron Maré, who suffered a navigation error, secured 24th position. Rodrigues and Maré currently occupy 20th and 17th positions, respectively.
Sherco Factory rider Lorenzo Santolino finished the stage behind Rodrigues in 20th position. His teammates, Rui Gonçalves and Harith Noah Koitha Veettil came 27th and 28th, respectively.
Stage Five took the riders on a 345km ride around the capital city of Riyadh. It presented complex navigation in open spaces, fast and stony tracks, canyons, and dunes. The Dakar Rally 2022 has now completed the first week of racing. Next, the rally will take another loop in the desert west of Riyadh. The sixth stage will include a 430km long timed special that will be lined with fast sections and a web of intersections that are particularly difficult to navigate.
