Dakar 2024, Prologue: the first 27km goes to Schareina; Sanders and Branch also on the podium

A 157 km loop from Al Ula to Al Ula, of which just 27km were timed, made up day one of the 2024 Dakar. A prologue stage that serves to establish the starting order for Stage 1, which riders will tackle tomorrow, starting once again from Al Ula and finishing in Al Henakiyah, with a 414km special.

Tosha an immediate frontrunner

After taking the win in the Ruta40 at the end of the 2023, the talented young Spaniard soon took center stage today, completing the 27km special in just 17’35”. A best time that will allow him to open tomorrow’s stage, when the Dakar 2024 truly gets underway. The HRC rider got the better of Daniel Sanders and his GasGas, just 12” behind, and Ross Branch aboard the Hero, who closed with a deficit of 19”. Adrien Van Beveren, the first of Tosha’s team-mates and a Dakar veteran, placed fourth, closing 24” off the pace, followed two seconds behind by the winner of the 2023 World Rally Raid Championship, Luciano Benavides. Riding the Husqvarna and last to start the prologue in virtue of his #1 plate, the Argentinian took on terrain that had been ravaged by the other competitors. Sixth place for Sam Sunderland with the second GasGas bike, 28” back, while the gaps were bigger from seventh place down, with Pablo Quintanilla closing 47” from his team-mate with the factory Honda. Toby Price and 2023 Dakar winner Kevin Benavides placed eighth and ninth aboard the factory KTM machines, respectively 51” and 56” from the front. While rounding out the top ten was Mason Klain with the Kove, proof that the Chinese bike is more than capable of fighting at the front in the hands of a talented rider like the young American.

Ricky Brabec finished just thirteenth, 1’19” from young team-mate Tosha, with Joan Barreda in fifteenth as he debuts with the Hero (1’25”). Paolo Lucci was the best of the Italians, 35th and 4’20” off the pace, while he was followed two minutes behind by Tommaso Montanari on the factory Fantic as it makes its Dakar debut. 69th place for Gioele Meoni, followed by Cesare Zacchetti in 81st, Tiziano Internò 91st, Fabio Lottero 103rd, Francesco Catanese 113th and Iader Girardi 122nd.