P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Dakar 2024, Stage 1: De Mevius takes shock win for Overdrive Toyota
De Mevius, who started the stage in 32nd place, made impressive progress throughout the 414km test and overtook both Mattias Ekstrom and Carlos Sainz Sr (both driving for Audi) to claim his first-ever stage victory in the Dakar Rally. Ekstrom initially had the lead but started to lose time to Sainz during the middle part of the stage. Mevius took advantage of Ekstrom’s struggle and jumped to second position before overtaking Sainz to secure the lead. Giniel de Villiers finished in third place, nearly 10 minutes behind De Mevius. Loeb and Al-Attiyah faced difficulties throughout the stage and dropped outside the top 10. They finished in 20th and 22nd place respectively. Stephane Peterhansel, the record holder for Dakar victories, finished in 24th place. The competitors will face an even longer stage of 463km on Sunday, which includes dunes for the first time.
