P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Bisha – Bisha Stage 413km, liaison 86km The Dakar got underway with a 499km stage to whet the appetite for the stages to come. It was important to preserve the cars for stage two on Sunday which is the feared 48-hour Chrono stage – two days and 1058km without service while sleeping in a bivouac […]
The Dakar rally began with a 499km stage to set the tone for the upcoming challenges. Preserving the cars was crucial for the feared 48-hour Chrono stage on Sunday, where participants covered 1058km without service, sleeping in the desert bivouac. Guerlain Chicherit and Alex Winocq won the stage in their X-Raid Mini JCW, leading ahead of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Seth Quintero and Dennis Zenz. Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa’s Saood Variawa/Francois Cazalet and Jipocar Ford Raptor’s Martin Prokop/Viktor Chytka completed the top three. Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz finished seventh, with Australian Toby Price and British Sam Sunderland in the top ten. Rally favorites Nasser Al-Attiyah and Edouard Boulanger ended in 20th, adapting their strategy for a better starting position in the following stages.
