The engines of the 47th Dakar Rally roared into life today for a high-speed Prologue Stage. The toughest race on the planet got underway with 29 kilometres against the clock around the Start Camp in Bisha. Pushing their way to the front were Red Bull Desert Wings racers, putting themselves in pole position for a favourable starting position for Stage One tomorrow. Putting down an early marker in the Challenger class were the latest recruits to the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team who helped themselves to a one-two finish on their debut day at the Dakar.
Ultimate Class
The stage is set for a Battle Royale in the Ultimate class with Toyota, Ford and Dacia all parking cars on the Prologue podium. Following home the Toyota Hilux of Prologue winner Henk Lategan was the V8-powered Ford Raptor T1+ of Mattias Ekström. The Swede clearly enjoyed making a big noise on the opening day of the 2025 Dakar Rally.
« I grew up with V8s in the DTM so I have a lot of experience with these engines. I think the sound of a V8 beats everything. » – Mattias Ekström
Completing the Prologue podium was the Dacia Sandrider of five-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah. The Qatari was the first car onto the Prologue Stage and Al-Attiyah was quick to credit his co-driver Edouard Boulanger for finding the way to the finish line.
« Welcome to Dakar! There was a lot of navigation for Edouard and it was not so easy for us as the first car onto the stage. » – Nasser Al-Attiyah
The standout result in the Ultimate class came from Rokas Baciuška who finished fourth. The Lithuanian is making his debut in the elite car division after claiming World Rally-Raid Championship titles in both SSV and Challenger categories.
« It’s great to finally get this Dakar started. Today was just 29km but tomorrow looks like a really tough stage. We must be patient. » – Rokas Baciuška
Other ambitious drivers placed inside the Prologue’s Top 10 and will now get themselves a favourable starting position for tomorrow’s 500-kilometre Stage One. These drivers include Sébastien Loeb, Lucas Moraes, and Nani Roma.
« It was a good, clean stage for us with no big trouble. The feeling in the car was good. Now we can choose a good position for tomorrow. » – Sébastien Loeb
Missing out on today’s Top 10 but still very much in the race are Ultimate class drivers Toby Price, Seth Quintero, Cristina Gutiérrez, Mitch Guthrie Jr., Giniel De Villiers, Laia Sanz, Carlos Sainz and Guillaume De Mévius.
« It wasn’t an easy Prologue. We got a puncture so we lost some time. It’s a good reminder of the risks of driving in this region. » – Guillaume De Mévius
Challenger Class
There was a sensational first day of the Dakar Rally for the newest recruits of the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team in the Challenger class. Winning the Prologue was rookie Corbin Leaverton behind the wheel of his Taurus T3 Max. The Californian has flown out of the traps on his first trip to Saudi Arabia, but acknowledges there’s a still a long way to go.
« We wanted to come and start from the front so P1 today helps us to do that. I’m a little bit surprised by the result, but pleasantly surprised. It’s just one very small task in the scheme of a huge 12-stage race. But it’s good to know that we have the pace. » – Corbin Leaverton
Second place on the Prologue went to Leaverton’s fellow Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team driver Gonçalo Guerreiro (just four seconds separating the rookies). It’s an extremely strong opening statement from the latest batch of youngsters given their shot at the Dakar Rally by the Junior Team program.
« We were second and my team-mate Corbin was first. We have a long race ahead, but we have started very well. » – Gonçalo Guerreiro
Elsewhere in the Challenger race local favourite Dania Akeel is off to a solid start with a fifth place finish on the Prologue. Akeel is joined in the Challenger class rankings on day one by Pau Navarro who came in 11th.
« I really enjoyed this stage. It was just 29km but we had mountains, rocks, sand and desert. Everything was packed into this Prologue. » – Dania Akeel
SSV Class
Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López has put down an early marker in the SSV class with fifth place on the Prologue Stage. López has returned to the category he won in 2019 while the rally was still hosted in his native South America. The Chilean’s opening day Top 5 result at this Dakar underlines his potential as a frontrunner in 2025.
« It was a quick Prologue Stage today. This first week of the Dakar is going to be very, very tough. » – Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López
Bike Class
Daniel Sanders of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing was the fastest biker on the Prologue Stage. The Australian was the only rider to cover today’s 29km in less than 17 minutes. It’s a great start to the Dakar by the 2024 Rallye du Maroc winner, but Sanders knows this is a marathon and not a sprint.
« It was a pretty smooth run today. Hopefully it’s good enough to give me a good position for tomorrow. This is just the beginning of a long race. » – Daniel Sanders
It was also a special day for Sanders’s team-mate Edgar Canet who clocked the Prologue’s third fastest time. The rookie has hit the ground running in Saudi Arabia and goes into Stage One full of confidence after this impressive ride.
« My first Dakar Rally Prologue and I enjoyed it a lot. It was super fast and that’s what I like. I caught a rider in front and I think I made a good job. » – Edgar Canet
The KTM 450 Rally bikes of brothers Kevin and Luciano Benavides came through the Prologue Stage. Also completing today’s opening day on two wheels were Mohammed Balooshi and Harith Noah.
The 2025 Dakar Rally is now underway and from tomorrow the distances are extreme and the terrain unforgiving. Tomorrow’s Stage One takes the convoy on a timed 412-kilometre loop around the Bisha Start Camp with plenty of navigation puzzles to solve along the way.
SELECTED PROLOGUE STAGE RESULTS
ULTIMATE
1: Henk Lategan (ZAF) / Brett Cummings (ZAF) – Toyota – 15:28
2: Mattias Ekström (SWE) / Emil Bergkvist (SWE) – Ford – 15:29
3: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) / Edouard Boulanger (FRA) – Dacia – 15:48
4: Rokas Baciuška (LTU) / Oriol Mena (ESP) – Toyota – 15:49
6: Sébastien Loeb (FRA) / Fabian Lurquin (BEL) – Dacia – 16:01
7: Lucas Moraes (BRA) / Armand Monleon (ESP) – Toyota – 16:03
8: Nani Roma (ESP) / Alex Haro (ESP) – Ford – 16:03
11: Toby Price (AUS) / Sam Sunderland (GBR) – Toyota – 16:12
15: Seth Quintero (USA) / Dennis Zenz (DEU) – Toyota – 16:18
16: Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP) / Pablo Moreno (ESP) – Dacia – 16:20
19: Mitch Guthrie Jr. (USA) / Kellon Walch (USA) – Ford – 16:35
21: Giniel de Villiers (ZAF) / Dirk von Zitzewitz (DEU) – Toyota – 16:40
23: Laia Sanz (ESP) / Maurizio Gerini (ITA) – Century – 16:41
25: Carlos Sainz (ESP) / Lucas Cruz (ESP) – Ford – 16:42
59: Guillaume De Mévius (BEL) / Mathieu Baumel (FRA) – MINI – 19:44
CHALLENGER
1: Corbin Leaverton (USA) / Taye Perry (DEU) – Taurus – 17:17
2: Gonçalo Guerreiro (POR) / Cadu Sachs (BRA) – Taurus – 17:21
5: Dania Akeel (SAU) / Stéphane Duplé (FRA) – Taurus – 17:36
11: Pau Navarro (ESP) / Lisandro Sisterna (ARG) – Taurus – 17:50
SSV
1: Brock Heger (USA) / Max Eddy (USA) – Polaris – 17:40
5: Francisco López (CHL) / Juan Pablo Latrach (CHL) – CAN-AM – 18:19
BIKE
1: Daniel Sanders (AUS) – KTM – 16:51
3: Edgar Canet (ESP) – KTM – 17:03
7: Luciano Benavides (ARG) – KTM – 17:31
24: Kevin Benavides (ARG) – KTM – 18:29
46: Mohammed Balooshi (UAE) – Fantic – 20:10
57: Harith Noah (IND) – Sherco – 21:08
QUOTES
Mattias Ekström: « I grew up with V8s in the DTM so I have a lot of experience with these engines. I think the sound of a V8 beats everything. »
Nasser Al-Attiyah: « Welcome to Dakar! There was a lot of navigation for Edouard and it was not so easy for us as the first car onto the stage. »
Rokas Baciuška: « It’s great to finally get this Dakar started. Today was just 29km but tomorrow looks like a really tough stage. We must be patient. »
Sébastien Loeb: « t was a good, clean stage for us with no big trouble. The feeling in the car was good. Now we can choose a good position for tomorrow. »
Lucas Moraes: « It was good to have a clean run. My co-driver Armand was key to keeping us on the right track. I guess we’ll have a good position for tomorrow. »
Nani Roma: « The day was a little bit strange. There were some nerves because nobody wants to make a mistake on the first day. »
Toby Price: « I’m still working out what the car can and can’t do. We’ve got a lot of tough stages to come and we’re going to take things day by day. »
Cristina Gutiérrez: « It was a nice experience to start this rally with the Dacia Sandriders. We felt very good in the car and we’re looking forward to tomorrow. »
Mitch Guthrie Jr.: « I’m excited to finally get my first stage in this car under my belt, even if it was just a short one. The extra speed is so much fun. »
Giniel de Villiers: « Things got a little bit tricky in the middle, but nothing too serious. This is going to be a very long race and we’re hoping for a good result. »
Laia Sanz: « It was good to be back in our car for the first time since the last Dakar. The feeling was good even though the terrain was really rough. »
Carlos Sainz: « The stage was good and there were no surprises. The car performed like it has done in testing and the shakedown. »
Guillaume De Mévius: « It wasn’t an easy prologue. We got a puncture so we lost some time. It’s a good reminder of the risks of driving in this region. »
Corbin Leaverton: « We wanted to come and start from the front so P1 today helps us to do that. I’m a little bit surprised by the result, but pleasantly surprised. My co-driver Taye was on point today, it was a clean, smooth run. Today doesn’t mean much, it’s just one very small task in the scheme of a huge 12 stage race. But it’s good to know that we have the pace. »
Gonçalo Guerreiro: « I didn’t expect to finish on the podium at my first Dakar Prologue. I’m pretty happy with the job that ewe did. We were second and my team-mate Corbin was first. We have a long race ahead, but we have started very well. »
Dania Akeel: « I really enjoyed this stage. It was just 29km but we had mountains, rocks, sand and desert. Everything was packed into this Prologue. »
Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López: « It was a quick Prologue Stage today. We finished fifth today and in theory that will help us out tomorrow. This first week of the Dakar is going to be very, very tough. »
Daniel Sanders: « It was a pretty smooth run today. Hopefully it’s good enough to give me a good position for tomorrow. This is just the beginning of a long race. »
Edgar Canet: « This was my first Dakar Rally prologue and I enjoyed it a lot. It was super fast and that’s what I like. I think I made a good job. »
Kevin Benavides: « I feel so happy because it means a lot to be here. I fought like crazy to get here this year so these first moments of the race are very special. »
Luciano Benavides: « It was a really fast start. I was taking care of the roadbook to keep to the right path. Fingers crossed I have a good position for tomorrow. »
Mohammed Balooshi: « I’m very grateful to be here with Fantic Racing. I’m looking forward to having fun, finishing the rally and bringing the bike home. »
Christine Fial,