The French driver Guerlain Chicherit, at the controls of a Mini and with his compatriot Alex Winocq as co-driver, achieved victory in cars (ultimate category) in the first stage of the 47th edition of the Dakar Rally, a special of 413 kilometers start and finish in Bisha (Saudi Arabia).
Chicherit, who gave Mini the first victory in the race since 2021, invested a time of 4:35:53 on the course, 50 seconds less than the American Seth Quintero, who with Toyota, achieved second position in the goal.
The Spanish Cristina Gutiérrez, who is making her debut in the top car category after winning the challenger in 2024, shone with a fifth place with the Dacia, 1:28 behind the winner, Guerlain Chicherit. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz, who defends the title, reacted in the final part with the Ford and finished with a good feeling by being seventh, 2:32 behind the Frenchman in Mini.
Pilot Daniel Sanders
In the motorcycle category, Australian rider Daniel Sanders (KTM Factory Racing) won the first stage this Saturday with a time of 4:41:27 over the 413 kilometers starting and finishing in Bisha. Sanders repeated the victory of the prologue with a lead of 2:04 over the American Ricky Brabec (Honda HRC), who defends the title, and 2:26 over the Botswanan Ross Branch (Hero), his two main rivals for the overall victory .
Spaniard Tosha Schareina (Honda HRC) finished fourth, 4:42 behind the leader, after having fought for the win and being 18 seconds behind Sanders at the last checkpoint before the finish line.
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