The first stage of the 2024 Dakar Rally, comprising a total of 414 timed kilometres, was characterized by terrain as dangerous as it was unexpected, where the drivers struggled with the mechanics of their vehicles. Most of the big names were expected to get close to the front of the pack on an unusual day when the start was delayed due to a spectator issue, but that wasn't the case for Prodrive.
The British manufacturer had to pay attention to events involving both Nasser Al Attiyah and Sébastien Loeb, as they remained at the bottom of the standings. The Frenchman, nine times WRC champion, suffered a lot, first due to a puncture due to stones, then due to the broken steering arm.
“It wasn't an easy stage, but they told us that before the start,” the Frenchman said after getting out of the car in 19th place and losing more than 20 minutes to the overall leader. “We had a puncture after 70 kilometres, but we knew that the rest of the stage would be very hard on the tires and the car, with large rocks everywhere. So we took it easy”, explained the Frenchman, underlining that he maintained a more conservative until the end of the first stage.
“But then I broke the steering arm, so we had to change it during the stage, and it's not that quick to change, so I think we lost ten or twelve minutes. It was a long day, not very interesting from a driving, but more a question of survival. In the end we made it.”
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