DAY 2: Stage 1 – January 4, 2025
Route: Bisha > Bisha – Liaison 86km | Special 413km
The 2025 Dakar Rally kicked off in earnest with a massive 500km stage, challenging racers right from the start. As the route approached 1,300 meters, the landscape transformed, and the 412 km special stage tested the competitors’ concentration and sand-surfing skills.
Sanders Dominates Stage 1
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders continued his winning streak, following up his prologue victory with a clear win on the tough and technical Stage 1. The Australian now leads the provisional overall standings by 2m 22s over Ricky Brabec.
“That was pretty tough! There was a lot of dust, so maybe my decision to start further back wasn’t the best, but we all caught each other up after a while and everyone was fighting to get ahead. I had to ignore the roadbook for a while and just focus on my speed and standing my ground. It was a fun start though and I’m interested to see how the 48-hour stage will go – I’m feeling great!” said Sanders.
Quintero Makes History in the Ultimate Class
In the Ultimate class, 22-year-old Seth Quintero made history by winning the stage, becoming the youngest driver to do so in the premier class. Quintero’s stage win puts him in the outright lead of the Ultimate class.
“It’s always good to get the first one done. We got past quite a few cars, then we saw Laia Sanz had a big crash, so we stopped there and did what we could to help,” said the American.
Favorites Bide Their Time
While Seth Quintero celebrated his historic win, other favorites seemed to be reeling from massive time losses. However, they had actually eased up on the accelerator to avoid starting the upcoming 48-hour chrono stage too close to the front. Carlos Sainz, who finished eighth, will be a prime target for Al Attiyah (21ᵗʰ), Al Rajhi (22ˢᵗ), and Loeb (25ⁿᵈ).
Strong Performances in Challenger and SSV Classes
In the Challenger class, the husband-and-wife team of Nicolás Cavigliasso and Valentina Pertegarini snatched victory, with Gonçalo Guerreiro just four seconds behind. Polaris drivers continued to impress in the SSV race, with Xavier de Soultrait taking the win and Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López finishing second, 7’35” adrift.
Van den Brink Leads the Truck Category
Mitchel van den Brink started the 2025 Dakar with a bang, leading the truck category. His main rivals, Aleš Loprais and Martin Macík, are 1’40” and 2’29” behind, respectively.
Baciuška’s Setback
Rokas Baciuška, who had a promising start in the prologue, suffered a crash 310 kilometers into the special, losing his left rear wheel and significant time. Despite standing 2h20m behind Seth Quintero, the Lithuanian plans to continue fighting and possibly win some points before the rally concludes in Shubaytah.
Looking Ahead: The 48-Hour Chrono Stage
The demanding start to the 2025 Dakar Rally continues with the early arrival of the 48-hour Chrono Stage. Racing over 1,000km across two days, the convoy will enter the stage on January 5 and must stop at the next of six rest areas they arrive at when the clock strikes 5pm. The remainder of the enormous timed stage must be completed on the morning of January 6.
