Five-time Dakar participant Franco Caimi has been dropped from the 2022 Dakar line-up due to an injury he suffered in Dubai recently. Initially, he was expected to be fit in time for Dakar, but he opted to sit out the rally to ensure full recovery. South African rider, Aaron Mare will replace Caimi for the rally.
The 2022 Dakar Rally will be Aaron Mare’s second appearance in the event. Aaron had a good career in his days racing across Europe and the USA. Aaron has also been racing in the deserts of Dubai since 2016. His career highlights include podiums and wins at the UAE Baja Championship, Dubai International Baja, and Emirates Desert Championship. He also won the Desert Storm Rally 2019 in Jaisalmer, India.
In his recent performances, Aaron came fourth at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, finishing behind now teammate Joaquim Rodrigues (J-Rod). This will be J-Rod’s sixth appearance at the Dakar, who finished fourth in the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.
J-Rod and Aaron will be the only two riders from Hero MotoSports to take on the Dakar 2022. Sebastian Buhler and CS Santosh are also absent for the rally due to injury. The 2022 Dakar rally will start from January 2 and finish on January 14, 2022. For more information and updates on the 2022 Dakar Rally, stay tuned to evo India!