Team Galag shows strong pace in the 2022 Dakar Rally 03.02.2022: • Team Galag has successfully completed its first Dakar rally. • De Sadeleer and Metge achieve five Top-10 stage finishes • Heartbreak during Stage 9, as transmission problem steals overall Top-10 chances

• Team Galag has successfully completed its first Dakar rally.

• De Sadeleer and Metge achieve five Top-10 stage finishes

• Heartbreak during Stage 9, as transmission problem steals overall Top-10 chances





Team Galag has successfully completed its first Dakar Rally. A successful partnership between the Swiss-ace and the French rally-raid veteran resulted in some impressive performances along the entire rally. De Sadeleer and Metge started off the Dakar with a comfortable P13 in the prologue but finished Stage 1B in an impressive 6th overall. Over the next 8 days, the duo managed their race to stay well in the overall Top-10 of the rally.



Unfortunately, dreams of finishing the Dakar in the Top-10 were broken on Stage 9. The team started the stage clocking-in with a P4 at the WP1 but suffered an unfortunate break-down. The SSV’s belt broke and damaged the gearbox seal, which resulted in the transmission oil spilling into the drive unit.


Therefore, the SSV lost a vast amount of power with the belt slipping inside of its housing. Instead of going through the dunes, the team decided to cut around them and suffered a 10h penalty as a result. The team easily repaired the buggy that evening, with De Sadeleer and Metge managing Top-10 finishes in Stages 10, 11 and 12.



Jerome de Sadeleer, Driver, Team Galag

“It was honestly hard to believe that on the first day of Dakar, Mika and I were able to finish 6th behind five factory drivers. It was only my 2nd Rally Raid rally, so our pace was quite unbelievable. Our MMP buggy is easily as fast as our competitors meaning it was my responsibility to deliver. I managed my driving well, without making any big mistakes during the entire race.


Unfortunately, during Stage 9, our belt broke. This is normal with SSVs and we always carry 3-4 spare belts in the car with us. But this time it was different as the belt ripped out the gear box seal.


With a ton of oil in the belt drive unit, we had no power and were unable to advance through terrain requiring any power. We would have been easily in the Top-10 without this issue but that is racing. Overall, I am very satisfied with the pace we had and cannot wait to be back for another Dakar Rally.”





Mika Metge, Co-Driver, Team Galag

“It was a great feeling to be back at Dakar after 7 editions on a motorbike. There is a lot of risk when you are racing a motorbike, so I was able to enjoy this edition from the inside of a buggy. The navigation in this edition was quite tricky, with a lot of terrain that had existing tracks.


On stage 1B, was a waypoint which I think 50% of competitors missed, but we got it and finished in P6. The rest of the rally was quite steady with Jerome and I managing our race until the unfortunate break-down. I was surprised how quick our buggy was compared to the competition and I think we have learned a lot of to be competitive in future rallies.”





Prince Talal Al Faisal, Founder & Team Owner, Team Galag


“Participating in the Dakar Rally was a dream come true, so to say we finished our first edition is unbelievable. Jerome and Mika have great chemistry in the car, and you could see how well they work together by the multiple Top-10 Stage finishes they had.



While we ultimately did not get the result we wanted overall, I am very satisfied with our general pace and competitiveness. Our MMP buggy performed extremely well and while we have a few adjustments to make, I am excited for what the future brings for Team Galag.”





- De Sadeleer, photo Rally Zone