The 47th Dakar Rally held in Saudi Arabia started with the 29-kilometer preliminary stage in the city of Bisha. Lategan from the Toyota Gazoo team took first place in the automobile class with a time of 15 minutes and 28 seconds.
Swedish Mattias Ekström (Ford M-Sport) came second, one second behind the South African pilot, and Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia Sandriders) came third, 20 seconds behind the leader.
The last champion, Spanish Carlos Sainz (Ford M-Sport), took 25th place in the preliminary stage.
SANDERS, THE LEADER IN MOTORCYCLING
In the motorcycle category, Daniel Sanders from the Red Bull KTM team took first place in the preliminary stage, finishing in 16 minutes and 51 seconds.
The Australian pilot was followed by Botswana’s Ross Branch (Hero), who crossed the finish line 11.5 seconds later, and Edgar Canet (Red Bull KTM), who came 11.9 seconds behind.
The reigning champion, American Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda), completed the preliminary stage in 4th place.
The first stage of the Dakar Rally will be held tomorrow on the 413-kilometer track in the city of Bisha. The 2025 Dakar Rally will end in Shubaytah on January 17.