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Australia’s Daniel Sanders will gain a teammate at GasGas Factory Racing for the 2022 Dakar Rally and world championship, to be joined by Sam Sunderland in an expanded program.

The pair, led by Sunderland, finished third and fourth at Dakar this year and will be in the mix come January, as well as for the FIM Cross-Country Rallies crown.

Sanders is primed for his second season of rally competition after claiming third in the 2021 world title and will benefit from added experience leading into next season.

“Being able to be one of the faces of GasGas for another year, especially alongside Sam, is really cool,” Sanders explained. “I’ve just finished up my first full season of racing rally and I’m certainly looking forward to another!

“It’s not all that long until the Dakar starts and with the world championship coming up pretty soon after that, it’s going to be another busy year. I’ve learned so much in 2021 and I’m excited for the future, the opportunity that I have and I can’t wait to get started again. Let’s go!”

Former Dakar Rally winner Sunderland switches from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing to GasGas on-board the RC 450F. He won Dakar in 2017 and lifted the rallies championship in 2019.

“It’s super-exciting for me to be joining the GasGas Factory Racing team,” he said. “It’s a relatively new team, but with strong foundations and a lot of expertise behind the program. For sure it’s a new challenge and a new opportunity for me and it gives me a lot of confidence being within similar surroundings, so I can focus on the job at hand.

“So far, everything has been really positive. I’ve been fortunate enough to have spent some time on the bike recently and I can’t wait to start racing. My goal is to win the Dakar again and claim the first win for GasGas too, so I’m really motivated and excited for the future. I’m looking forward to coming out swinging at the Dakar.”

GasGas motorsport director Pit Beirer added: “It’s a huge moment for GasGas to have both Sam and Daniel on the rally team. What started off as a small project with Laia [Sanz] and then with Daniel, has now become a much bigger effort.

“Signing a former Dakar winner in Sam and having quite possibly the best young talent in rally at the moment in Daniel, really shows a clear statement that the brand is ready to compete for victories and grow its presence further in rally.

“It’s really exciting for GASGAS to have two great riders that are both capable of winning in 2022 and I wish them both the best of luck for the Dakar Rally and 2022 season.”