Legendary Dakar Rally kicks off – Sebastien Loeb shares positive message

The 29-kilometre prologue near Bisha was won by Toyota driver Henk Lategan, who edged out Ford’s Mattias Ekström by just one second.

Much attention during the prologue was focused on how the debuting teams, M-Sport Ford and Dacia, would perform. Ford drivers Ekström and Nani Roma both secured top-ten finishes, as did Dacia stars Nasser Al-Attiyah and Sebastien Loeb.

Al-Attiyah, opening the route, finished third, 20 seconds off the lead. Loeb placed sixth (+0:20), and Roma came in eighth (+0:35).

The top ten drivers from the prologue will choose their starting positions for Saturday’s first full stage, a 413-kilometre route around Bisha. Lategan, as the winner, will take the tenth starting position, considered the most advantageous, while Guerlain Chicherit, who finished tenth, will likely start first.

“It wasn’t a perfect drive, we made a few mistakes here and there, but it was a good stage. We had a good rhythm quite early on,” Lategan reported.

Nine-time WRC champion Loeb, still seeking his first Dakar victory, has three second-place finishes in the iconic desert rally. He was satisfied with the Dacia Sandrider’s performance in the prologue.

“It was a good stage for us, a clean stage, with no big trouble. The feeling with the car was good. We have a good time, the sixth time, so it will be good to choose the position for tomorrow,” Loeb said.

Last year’s Dakar winner, Carlos Sainz, failed to crack the top ten with his Ford Raptor. The veteran Spaniard finished 25th, over a minute behind the leader, securing a beneficial starting position behind the frontrunners for Saturday.

Saturday’s stage is expected to feature strategic driving, as Sunday’s 48-hour marathon stage will heavily depend on starting positions. The winner of Saturday’s stage will have the disadvantage of opening the route for the gruelling two-day marathon.

The Dakar Rally consists of 12 stages and concludes on 17 January.

Dakar Rally prologue results: