Swedish On Monday, racing driver Matias Ekström won the prologue of the ‘Dakar’ rally, ahead of Frenchman Sebastian Loeb.
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“Audi” The Eekstrem team driver completed the 13 km long prologue in exactly eight minutes and was one second ahead of nine-time world rally champion Loeb (“Bahrain Raid Xtreme”).
Third, 11 seconds behind the Swede, was another French driver Stephane Peterancel (“Audi”), who has won this race 14 times, eight with a car and six with a motorbike.
“It’s always nice to start well, but of course the day is long and the rally even longer,” said Ekström.
“A good end for 2022, but tomorrow is the real start. We will have to try and keep our focus for another two weeks,” he recalled.
The last rally champion, Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota), finished fourth, 12 seconds behind the winner.
In the first stage on Sunday, the riders will have to cover 603 kilometres, including speed stages of 368 kilometres.
In the motorcycle race, Australian Toby Price (KTM) cleared compatriot Daniel Sanders (GasGas) by a second to finish in eight minutes and 22 seconds, while Botswana’s Ross Branch (Hero) crew finished third, nine seconds behind the winner.
Defending champion from Great Britain, Sam Sunderland (“GasGas”) finished in tenth place.
“It’s a really good start,” Price said. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing. Obviously it’s nice to be able to choose your starting point, but I don’t know if it will be an advantage or a disadvantage.”
“Last year our strategy was basically the exact opposite of what I needed to be doing. I’m just going to keep an open mind,” Price added.
This year’s ‘Dakar’ rally raid will cover 8,549 kilometers over 15 days of racing, including four days of driving through the unexplored dunes of the Rub el-Hali desert, or the Empty Quarter.
On the last day of 2022, around 790 motorcyclists, motorists and drivers hit the road along the Red Sea coast. Rally Raid will end in the eastern Saudi Arabian city of Dammam on January 15.
The rally raid “Dakar” will be held for the 45th time and for the fourth time in a row it will take place in Saudi Arabia. Last year, Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota) won the “Dakar” rally raid in the passenger car class, while British motor sportsman Sam Sunderland (“GasGas”) won in the motorcycle competition.
Rally Raid was held in Africa 29 times from 1979 to 2007. It was canceled in 2008 due to safety concerns, but made its South American debut the following year.
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