Dakar 2022 Stage 7: Sebastien Loeb wins; Jones leads SSV

The 2022 Dakar Rally resumed after a rest day with Stage 7 and some very familiar names atop the overall podium after the 701-kilometer segment from Riyadh to Al Dawadimi.

Rally legend Sebastien Loeb won in the car class, finishing ahead of overall leader and three-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah. The Qatar native still holds a lead of nearly 45 minutes over Loeb through seven of 12 stages.

“We had a fantastic special until 50 kilometers before the line, when we started having engine problems,” said Loeb, a nine-time World Rally champion trying to win his first Dakar. “It just sputtered on, off and on again … We lost a lot of time near the end, but we still came out on top, so no complaints from my side. We’re not in a position of strength, there are no questions to be answered. There is no strategy. We’ll just do our job and see how it plays out.”

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Said Al-Attiyah: “The second week of the Dakar is a different race altogether. We didn’t really try to attack this morning, we left it for later in the stage. I’m not following any strategy. If we’re in a position to win a special, we won’t let it slip away, but our priority is to give it our all day after day and hope that it will pay off at the end of the Dakar.”

Three-time Dakar Rally champion Carlos Sainz finished third in the stage but remained out of overall contention nearly 45 minutes off the lead.

In the bike division, Nacho Cornejo won Stage 7 while Adrien Van Beveren moved into the overall lead with a 10th in the stage.

Sam Sunderland fell from first to fourth overall after teammate Daniel Sanders, who won Stage 6, crashed in the liaison after clipping a kerb just a few kilometers after leaving the bivouac.

“It was a bit of a rough day,” Sunderland said. “It started out bad for Sanders with a crash in the liaison and then the stage was really, really difficult with the navigation, so not ideal to start in front. Where the rains have passed through after the 00 car, so many of the tracks are washed away, so it’s a bit of a casino. You just flip a coin and hope it’s that one.

“Honestly, it’s a bit frustrating, but at the same time I’m sure the next days will be the same for the other guys. Even yesterday, when people were asking if I was excited about leading the race, of course, it’s cool, but it means nothing on the rest day. We still have so many long days in front of us and I’m sure there’ll be some more opportunities to attack, to recuperate some time.”

Sanders missed the start after being taken to a Riyadh hospital because of an injured elbow. A GasGas team manager said Sanders was out of the race.

The jumbled standings gave home to some riders such as 2020 winner Ricky Brabec, who has moved up to 13th with a seventh in the stage. The Hesperia, California, native still is recovering from getting lost during a nightmarish first stage.

“A lot can change in six days, as you know,” Brabec said. “It’s rally, things change daily. And yeah we’re going to keep fighting.”

🏍 @A_Vanbeveren was very emotional at the finish. He took the overall lead after today's stage. 🥺#Dakar2022 pic.twitter.com/O4eFq41uPw

— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 9, 2022

In SSV, U.S. driver Austin Jones moved back into the overall lead with a 10th-place finish in the seventh stage. Former leader Rodrigo Luppi De Oliveira dropped to fifth overall (36 minutes behind Jones) after finishing Stage 7 nearly an hour off the winner in 15th because of navigation problems for the rookie.

“It was a good day for us,” Jones said. “It was really long, pretty brutal, really hard navigation today. We got turned around in a couple of spots but big shoutout to my navigator Gustavo for figuring it out. I know that it was really hard so definitely good on him, and that we gained a little bit of time today on the overall so that’s good.”

In the light prototype division, Seth Quintero won his fifth consecutive stage and seventh overall. The American stayed on track for breaking the Dakar record for stage victories (10), which he can top by winning four of the last five stages.

“It’s a super big relief because I was getting a little nervous,” said Quintero, who lost about 20 minutes trying to find the course. “That record is not going to be easy to break so now we’ve got a little more room. Hopefully, we don’t need it to get a few more stage wins and beat that record.”

Here are the stage winners and the top three overall in each category after Day 7:

Car

Stage 7 winner: Sebastien Loeb (FRA), 3:09:32. Overall: 1. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT), Toyota Gazoo Racing, 23:52:22; 2. Sebastien Loeb (FRA), Bahrain Raid Extreme, 24:37:21; 3. Yazeed Al Rajhi (SAU), Overdrive Toyota, 24:45:53.

Bike

Stage 7 winner: Nacho Cornejo (CHL), 3:28:46. Overall: 1. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team, 23:45:02; 2. Matthias Walkner (AUS), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 23:50:14; 3. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 23:50:25. Other U.S. notables: 10. Andrew Short, Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team, 24:13:12; 12. Mason Klein, BAS Dakar KTM Racing Team, 24:17:58; 13. Ricky Brabec, Monster Energy Honda, 24:23:54. Withdrew: Skyler Howes, Husqvarna Factory Racing.

Truck

Stage 7 winner: Anton Shibalov (RAF), 3:33:17. Overall: 1. Dmitry Sotnikov (RAF), Kamaz-Master 26:05:54; 2. Eduard Nikolaev (RAF), Kamaz-Master, 26:11:08; 3. Anton Shibalov (RAF), Kamaz-Master, 26:37:19.

Light prototype

Stage 7 winner: Seth Quintero (USA), 3:45:20. Overall: 1. Francisco Lopez Contardo (CHL), EKS — South Racing, 28:17:24; 2. Sebastian Eriksson (SWE), EKS — South Racing, 29:41:29; 3. Cristina Gutierrez Herrero (ESP), Red Bull Off-Road Team USA, 30:30:04. Notable: 10. Seth Quintero (USA), 44:13:04.

SSV

Stage 7 winner: Aron Domzala (POL), 4:00:56. Overall: 1. Austin Jones (USA), Can-Am Factory South Racing, 29:28:14; 2. Michal Goczal (POL), Cobant-Energylandia Rally Team, 29:33:25; 3. Gerard Farres Guell (ESP), 29:34:47.

Quad

Stage 7 winner: Marcelo Medeiros (BRA), 4:17:18. Overall: 1. Alexandre Giroud (FRA), Yamaha Racing – SMX -Drag’on, 29:38:54; 2. Pablo Copetti (USA), Del Amo Motorsports/Yamaha Rally Team, 29:57:15; 3. Aleksandr Maksimov (RAF), Chyr Mari, 30:31:33.

PAST RECAPS

DAY 1: Nasser Al-Attiyah takes overall lead as Audi drivers struggle

DAY 2: Sebastien Loeb wins; Austin Jones takes SSV lead

DAY 3: Led by Seth Quintero’s rebound victory, U.S. drivers and riders shine

DAY 4: Overall leader Nasser Al-Attiyah wins stage after penalty

DAY 5: Petrucci becomes first MotoGP veteran to win bike stage at Dakar

DAY 6: Quintero continues impressive win streak in lightweight prototype

For the fifth time in 10 rounds of the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross season, the three riders at the top of the championship standings shared a podium and while those points tell one story, the NBC SuperMotocross Power Rankings after Detroit tell a slightly different tale.

SuperMotocross Power Rankings Detroit — *Cooper Webb is peaking at the right time. – Feld Motor Sports*

Chase Sexton has been all but perfect during the past 45 days with podium finishes in each of his heats and Triple Crown features. His only stumble during this period was a 10th-place finish in the Indianapolis Main. Last week, Sexton was perfect with wins in both his heat and the feature, although he needed a little help from an Aaron Plessinger mistake to take the top spot on the podium at the end of the night.

Cooper Webb finished fifth at Houston and was beginning to worry ever so slightly about his position in the points. Prior to the race in Tampa, he told NBC Sports that it was time to win and like Babe Ruth pointing to the outfield fence, Webb went out and captured it. Following that race, Webb has swept the podium and earned the red plate two weeks ago in Indianapolis. At Detroit, he added two more points on Eli Tomac as the season begins to wind down.

Tomac struggled with a stiff neck at Indianapolis and after a modest third-place showing in Detroit, he revealed he was still suffering a little. Webb and Sexton have been able to close the gap on Tomac in the past 45 days, but one of the main reasons he is so close in the points was a pair of wins that started the year. Seattle is going to be important for the defending champion because Tomac cannot afford to lose any more momentum with seven rounds remaining.

MORE: Chase Sexton inherits the win in Detroit

It appeared Jason Anderson was turning things around. He earned his fifth heat win at Detroit, which was also his sixth consecutive race (including features) in which he scored a top-five. A fall in the Detroit Main dropped him a lap off the pace and sent him home with a season-worst finish of ninth, causing a ripple effect in the SuperMotocross Power Rankings.

Justin Barcia was a huge part of the show last week in Detroit. He swapped positions with both Webb and Tomac in the middle stage of the race, which allowed Sexton to close the gap. Barcia finished fourth in that race to earn his third consecutive top-five. He’s been outside the top 10 only once in the first 10 rounds.

Adam Cianciarulo had a great start to the Main. He led a couple of laps before losing a lap and slipping back to eighth in the final rundown. That run was strong enough to elevate him three positions in the SuperMotocross Power Rankings after Detroit.

450 Rankings

This Week	Driver	Percentage Points	Last Week	Diff.
1.	Chase Sexton [2 Main, 6 Heat wins]	87.00	1	0
2.	Cooper Webb [2 Main, 1 Heat win]	86.71	2	0
3.	Eli Tomac [5 Main, 6 Heat wins]	84.57	3	0
4.	Jason Anderson [5 Heat wins]	80.71	4	0
5.	Ken Roczen [1 Main, 1 Heat win]	80.50	5	0
6.	Justin Barcia [1 Heat win]	79.07	7	1
7.	Aaron Plessinger	77.14	6	-1
8.	Adam Cianciarulo	69.75	11	3
9.	Christian Craig	68.86	10	1
10.	Justin Cooper	63.90	9	-1
11.	Justin Hill	58.57	15	4
12.	Dean Wilson	51.50	12	0
13.	Colt Nichols	51.25	13	0
14.	Shane McElrath	46.86	17	3
15.	Josh Hill	46.79	16	1
16.	Benny Bloss	45.31	18	2
17.	Jared Lesher	39.00		NA
18.	Joey Savatgy	38.63	14	-4
19.	Cade Clason	37.50	21	2
20.	Grant Harlan	35.54	23	3

Supercross 450 Points

The NBC SuperMotocross Power Rankings look at the past 90 days in the 250 class in order to have a balanced comparison between the East and West divisions and Hunter Lawrence has been all but perfect this year. At Detroit, he earned his fifth win of the season and kept alive a streak of podium finishes in six rounds. He tied his brother Jett Lawrence with 10 250 wins one week before the West riders take to the track for back-to-back races at Seattle, Washington and Glendale, Arizona.

The Lawrence brothers are dominating the points in each of their respective divisions, which means the remainder of the field is battling to be best in class.

In the East, that rider is Nate Thrasher, who beat Hunter in a head-to-head matchup in their heat only to finish second in the main when the majority of points were awarded. Thrasher seems to have accepted his position in the championship standings, but that doesn’t mean he won’t keep trying for wins.

Haiden Deegan showed a lot of aggression in his heat last week. He threw a couple of block passes at his teammate Jordon Smith and set up a series of events that kept Smith from making the big show while Deegan settled into second in the preliminary. Deegan was unconcerned about how he raced his teammate and would not let a little controversy keep him from celebrating his second career podium in Detroit.

Supercross 250 Points

Jeremy Martin just keeps clicking off solid results. He won his heat last week by making a pass on Deegan and Smith while they were in the heat of their battle. Martin finished fourth in the Main, which means he continues to have only one finish worse than sixth in any of the features or mains.

Smith fell one position in the points standings, but the damage was even worse in SuperMotocross Power Rankings after Detroit. Crash damage in his heat contributed to a last-place finish in that race, for which he earned minimal points. He was not able to advance from the Last Chance Qualifier after stalling his bike in heavy traffic.

250 Rankings

This Week	Rider	Power Avg.	Last Week	Diff.
1.	Hunter Lawrence – E [5 Main, 5 Heat wins]	90.43	1	0
2.	Jett Lawrence – W [3 Main, 3 Heat wins]	90.30	2	0
3.	Nate Thrasher – E [1 Main, 3 Heat wins]	84.00	5	2
4.	Cameron McAdoo – W [1 Heat win]	79.80	9	5
5.	Haiden Deegan – E [1 Heat win]	78.21	7	2
6.	Jeremy Martin – E [2 Heat wins]	78.00	8	2
7.	Jordon Smith – E [3 Heat Wins]	76.77	4	-3
8.	Levi Kitchen – W [1 Main]	75.30	3	-5
9.	Mitchell Oldenburg – W	75.20	11	2
10.	RJ Hampshire – W [4 Heat wins]	74.50	17	7
11.	Max Anstie – E	74.43	6	-5
12.	Tom Vialle – E	72.07	12	0
13.	Max Vohland – W	71.56	10	-3
14.	Stilez Robertson – W [1 Heat win]	69.22	14	0
15.	Chris Blose – E	67.43	18	3
16.	Chance Hymas – E	67.10	15	-1
17.	Enzo Lopes – W	66.00	20	3
18.	Michael Mosiman – E	65.80	16	-2
19.	Pierce Brown – W	65.78	13	-6
20.	Phil Nicoletti – W	59.25	21	1

* The NBC Power Rankings assign 100 points to a Main event winner and 90 points for each Heat and Triple Crown win, (Triple Crown wins are included with heat wins below the rider’s name). The points decrement by a percentage equal to the number of riders in the field until the last place rider in each event receives five points. The Power Ranking is the average of these percentage points over the past 45 days for the 450 class and last 90 days for 250s (because of the split nature of their season).

POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 8 AT DAYTONA: Chase Sexton unseats Eli Tomac
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 7 AT ARLINGTON: Jason Anderson narrowly trails Tomac
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 6 AT OAKLAND: Perfect night keeps Tomac first
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 5 AT TAMPA: Sexton, Cooper Webb close in
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 4 AT HOUSTON: Tomac rebounds from A2 crash, retakes lead
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 3 AT ANAHEIM 2: Consistency makes Ken Roczen king
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 2 AT SAN DIEGO: Roczen moves up, Sexton falls
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 1 AT ANAHEIM 1: Tomac, Jett Lawrence gain an early advantage

Dakar Rally 2022, Stage 7: Sebastien Loeb wins; Austin Jones retakes lead in SSV

2023 SuperMotocross Power Rankings after Detroit: Chase Sexton narrowly leads Cooper Webb

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