Home All Stories Quintero Equals Dakar Rally Stage Win Record as Lopez Cedes Ground; Jones...

20220111DAK0243 A.S.O. F.Le Floch DPPI — 303 Quintero Seth (usa), Zenz Dennis (ger), Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team, OT3 - 02, T3 FIA, W2RC, action during the Stage 9 of the Dakar Rally 2022 around Wadi Ad Dawasir, on January 11th 2022 in Wadi Ad Dawasir, Saudi Arabia - Photo Frederic Le Floch / DPPI

Quintero Equals Dakar Rally Stage Win Record as Lopez Cedes Ground; Jones Retains SSV Lead

January 12, 2022

Aside from the Stage 2 mechanical troubles that undid his hopes for an overall victory, American wunderkind Seth Quintero remains perfect in the 2022 Dakar Rally thanks to yet another stage win on Wednesday’s Stage 10. Quintero completed the 375-kilometer special stage from Wadi Ad Dawasir to Bisha in 3:22:11 for his eighth consecutive triumph and 10^th overall (counting Stage 1A, formerly known as the Prologue). That victory sees him equaling the record for most stage wins in a single event, set in 1994 by Pierre Lartigue in his first of three consecutive event wins. In addition, Quintero’s stage victories have seen him nearly two hours faster than overall class leader Chaleco Lopez.

Fellow Red Bull driver Cristina Gutierrez was second in class, while Sebastian Eriksson was third, gaining more than 20 minutes on his EKS South Racing teammate Lopez in the overall classification after Lopez could only muster a 12^th place finish on stage. Lopez’s advantage is now down to 55:56 with two stages remaining, although it remains one of the largest leads in the rally.

20220112DAK0081 A.S.O. Frédéric Le Floch DPPI — #401 Jones Austin (usa), Gugelmin Gustavo (bra), Can-Am Factory South Racing, Can-Am XRS, T4 FIA SSV, W2RC, Motul, action during the Stage 10 of the Dakar Rally 2022 between Wadi Ad Dawasir and Bisha, on January 12th 2022 in Bisha, Saudi Arabia – Photo Frederic Le Floch / DPPI

The SSV overall lead, at 11:54, is much closer, but it remains in Austin Jones’ hands after another consistent run on the day. While Rokas Baciuska took the stage win, and both Gerard Farres and Michal Goczal also finished in front of him, Jones’ fifth place stage finish was just 4:01 behind Baciuska’s winning time. Most of the top five remains within the same rough placement as they were coming into the day as a result.

2022 Dakar Rally Stage 9 winners were as follows:

Light Prototype: Seth Quintero (USA), 3:22:11
SSV: Rokas Baciuska (LTU), 3:36:55

20220104DAK0069 A.S.O. F.Le Floch DPPI — #414 Baciuska Rokas (ltu), Mena Oriol (spa), South Racing Can-Am, Can-Am XRS, T4 FIA SSV, W2RC, Motul, action during the Stage 3 of the Dakar Rally 2022 between Al Qaysumah and Al Qaysumah, on January 4th 2022 in Al Qaysumah, Saudi Arabia – Photo Frederic Le Floch / DPPI

2022 Dakar Rally overall leaders after Stage 9 are as follows:

Light Prototype: Chaleco Lopez (CHL), 39:43:03
SSV: Austin Jones (USA), 40:55:24

The Dakar Rally takes on its crucial penultimate stage on Thursday, with the 346-kilometer Bisha loop offering numerous technical challenges before Friday’s return to Jeddah. Coverage of Stage 9 will air on the Olympic Channel tonight at 8PM ET, with extended highlights also streaming on NBC Sports digital platforms.