Dakar 2025: Seth Quintero (Toyota) and Daniel Sanders (KTM) in control after the first stage

Seth Quintero wins the stage and takes control of the race. MAXPPP – Red Bull Media

After awarding the car victory to Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit, the organizers awarded it to the American who recovered 95 seconds after stopping due to an accident. Sébastien Loeb, 24th, lost 12 minutes.

After announcing Guerlain Chicherit's success in the car category on Saturday during the first stage in Saudi Arabia, the Dakar-2025 finally awarded it to Seth Quintero, while Daniel Sanders confirmed his victory on the bike. Nearly two hours after proclaiming the victory of Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit on the 413 km special in 4 hours 35 minutes, the Dakar organization announced at the end of the day that it would finally award first place to the Toyota of Seth Quintero, 22 years old.

All rankings

“The American had stopped at kilometer 330 due to an accident. He recovered 95 seconds, which put him ahead of Guerlain Chicherit and he won the stage,” declared the organizers. Guerlain Chicherit (Mini) therefore finished in second position, 45 seconds behind the winner, who also took the lead in the provisional general classification.

Loeb: “We stopped so as not to have to open the road on Sunday”

Nine-time world rally champion but having never yet managed to win in the Dakar, Frenchman Sébastien Loeb (Dacia) finished 24th, 12 minutes behind the winner. The result of a fool's game. “It was a trouble-free stage for us, we didn't take any risks. The goal wasn't to make the best time so we stopped for a few minutes at the end to lose some time and avoid having to open the road tomorrow”,explained the Alsatian to the press as he got out of the car.

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“It was a boring day, because we were all in the strategy for tomorrow. We especially didn't want to be on the podium”, he added. The other two heavyweights of the rally-raid, the Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ford) and the Qatari Nasser al-Attiyah (Dacia), are respectively in 7th and 20th positions.

Dreadful 48-hour stage, this Sunday and Monday

The Dakar competitors will be taking part on Sunday and Monday in the formidable “48h chrono”, a special stage of nearly 1000 km without assistance, spread over two days with a night in the desert in a basic bivouac. In these conditions, opening the road, as the leaders of the previous day's stage must do, could constitute a serious disadvantage. Inaugurated last year, this format occurs this year from the second stage and could prove decisive for the rest of the race.

On the motorbikes, the Australian Daniel Sanders (KTM) confirmed his victory in the prologue the day before by finishing the first stage in the lead. The 30-year-old rider, who aims to become the second Australian to win the Dakar on a motorbike after Toby Price (2016 and 2018), took the lead of the special stage at kilometre 151 and managed to hold on there, despite being closely followed. The winner of the last Rally of Morocco left his pursuers, the American Ricky Brabec (Honda), defending champion, and the Botswanan Ross Branch (Hero) two minutes behind.

Sanders serene leader on motorbike

“The second half was much better, once I got out of all that dust. The bike rides well, the body feels good”, declared Daniel Sanders upon his arrival at the bivouac.

For its 47th edition, the legendary race created in Africa by Thierry Sabine has 800 competitors in the running aboard 440 vehicles entered in the various races. Tracing an 8,000 km curve through Saudi Arabia, the rally-raid will reach its conclusion on January 17 in the dunes of the Empty Quarter desert, on the border with the United Arab Emirates.