january 08, 2024 - RedBull Racing
2024 Dakar Rally starts with surprises on the sands of Saudi Arabia during Prologue Stage
Today the 2024 Dakar Rally made its first inroads into a perilous route of 5,000 kilometres through the deserts of Saudi Arabia. The Prologue Stage took the convoy 28km through the mountainous monuments of AlUla, providing a sample of the intense desert action that will follow on 12 strength-sapping days of racing.
Massive sand dunes and extreme temperatures will test everything to the limit over the next two weeks. Reaching the finish line in Yanbu on January 19 is by no means guaranteed, not even for the most experienced desert racers. Read on to find out who got their noses in front at the 46th Dakar Rally and kept alive those dreams of winning the world's toughest off-road race.
The clash of the cars
It's a third visit to the Dakar for Team Audi Sport and once again they've put their cars in the hands of Stéphane Peterhansel, Carlos Sainz and Mattias Ekström. After collecting stage wins during the previous two editions of the Dakar the goal is to now park at least one Audi RS Q e-tron on the final podium. The star performer for Audi on today's prologue was Ekström who took the win.
Toyota Gazoo Racing have refreshed their line-up for this latest edition of the Dakar by recruiting one of the most exciting talents in the bivouac. 21-year-old Seth Quintero made his car class debut on today's 27km stage in AlUla and placed second behind Ekström. Quintero's team-mates Lucas Moraes and Giniel de Villiers also have their own Toyota GR DKR Hilux machines lined up to attack tomorrow's 405km timed special stage.
There's a new ride for reigning Dakar champion Nasser Al-Attiyah as he joins long-time rival Sébastien Loeb in a pair of Prodrive Hunter rally cars. This pair of ultra-competitive drivers must strike a balance between teamwork and individual glory as the rally weaves its way through the dunes. It was Loeb who fared better today as he set the prologue's third fastest time while Al-Attiyah finished less than 25 seconds behind his new team-mate.
It was a fine car category debut for Guillaume de Mévius after proving himself in the Challenger (T3) class at previous editions of the Dakar. The Belgian's Toyota Hilux Overdrive was just 1m47s behind Ekström and in front of former Dakar champions Sainz and De Villiers.
One minute back from De Mévius came Laia Sanz who is looking to break into the top ranks of the car class at her 14th Dakar, something she did as a biker before she traded two wheels for her Astara vehicle.
The tussle on two wheels
It was a strong opening day in the bike contest for Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing pair Daniel Sanders and Sam Sunderland. Sanders posted the day's second fastest time, just 12 seconds behind Prologue Stage winner Tosha Schareina. Two-time Dakar winner Sunderland placed sixth.
Toby Price looks like Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's best shot at victory this year. A two-time Dakar winner, the Australian is yet to taste victory in Saudi Arabia and that's something he'd love to put right this month. Price got things going with an eighth place finish on the prologue.
It's been a difficult 12 months for Price's team-mate and defending Dakar bike race champion Kevin Benavides since his victory last time out. The two-time Dakar winner has suffered a broken femur, wrist and tibia since his last visit to Saudi Arabia. His latest injury, a broken tibia, was sustained less than a month ago. Despite the setback, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider still placed inside the Top 10 on today's prologue.
While Kevin Benavides has spent much of the year recovering from injury, his younger brother Luciano has had a marvellous 12 months on the bike. Luciano Benavides's consistent performances on his Husqvarna saw him crowned the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship winner in 2023. Now the 28-year-old wants to add a first Dakar win to his already impressive résumé. Fifth place on the prologue sets up Luciano to go the attack tomorrow.
Calling all Challengers!
Mitch Guthrie Jr. missed out on the Prologue Stage podium by a handful of seconds after the MCE-5 Taurus T3 Max dominated the opening day in the Challenger class, taking four spots in the Top 5. Fifth place is a strong start for the American racer who picked up rally wins in Mexico and Argentina last year.
Following Guthrie Jr. home in sixth was three-time Dakar quad race winner Ignacio Casale in his Yamaha YXZ 1000R prototype.
Guthrie Jr.'s fellow Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team racer Cristina Gutiérrez is also onboard a MCE-5 Taurus T3 Max this time around and she set the category's eighth fastest time. Next up behind Gutiérrez came Rokas Baciuška, making his debut in the Challenger class in a Can-Am after making the step up from T4.
Home favourite Dania Akeel missed out on the Top 10 by just four seconds as she made her own encouraging start in her MCE-5 Taurus T3 Max. Akeel placed ahead of the Can-Ams driven by former category winners Chaleco López and Austin 'AJ' Jones
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