The 47th edition of the Dakar has set a date for the world's rally-raiders in Saudi Arabia from 3 to 17 January.
More information:
https://www.dakar.com
https://www.facebook.com/Dakar
https://www.twitter.com/Dakar
https://www.instagram.com/DakarRally
#Dakar2025
© Amaury Sport Organisation - https://www.aso.fr
More information:
https://www.dakar.com
https://www.facebook.com/Dakar
https://www.twitter.com/Dakar
https://www.instagram.com/DakarRally
#Dakar2025
© Amaury Sport Organisation - https://www.aso.fr
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SportTranscription
00:00It's going to go slight right here.
00:09Another day, another Dakar, and a gentle introduction to this year's Saudi sand.
00:14But the rally gods are so, so cruel.
00:20Oops.
00:25Welcome back to Dakar 25, where last night the top competitors from the prologue gathered
00:29to choose their start positions for today's first real special.
00:33Welcome, Skyler Howes.
00:36You can choose whatever spot you want.
00:38I'm going to choose spot number 23.
00:41It's going to be the same.
00:4223.
00:43Same place.
00:4423.
00:4523.
00:4623.
00:47Surprise, surprise.
00:48Thank you so much.
00:49You don't want to open the road, but you also don't want to be held up by too many guys
00:51in front.
00:52Number 11, that's an interesting choice.
01:15It was more of a painful stage.
01:16I haven't had dust like that forever.
01:20Very rocky.
01:21Dangerous also.
01:22Getting smoked by thorn bushes.
01:25It was a crazy stage.
01:26A lot of people getting lost.
01:27I was going so far the wrong way so many times.
01:31I couldn't even imagine starting up front.
01:34I had to open from kilometer 20-something to the finish all day by myself, so mentally
01:39it's very exhausting.
01:41Another straightforward day to look forward to then.
01:44Well, there was a very familiar look to the stage one results on the bikes as the world
01:48champion, the reigning Dakar champion, and the prologue winner made up the podium.
01:53We're holding out for a hero, but he's got to be strong and he's got to be fast.
01:57Ross Branch is exactly that.
01:59The Calahari-Ferrari dealt with the tapestry of terrains, finished third, and then spoke
02:03to us fresh from the fight.
02:05Yes, I enjoyed it.
02:09It was a long, tough one.
02:11If that's the first stage for Dakar, it's going to be a long Dakar.
02:16Coming up today, Ricky Braybeck, but even he found it tough.
02:21You couldn't really find a smooth rhythm.
02:26You're always making 90-degree quick corners.
02:29Ricky banished any fears there might have been about how his recently broken leg might
02:33hold out.
02:34Yes, the strategy today was to make a big push and try to do as good as I can.
02:39But leaping into the lead for the second day in a row, Daniel Sanders.
02:43The Aussie is chucking everything at the start of this first week, and so far, so good.
02:52A lot of dust, so it probably wasn't the smartest thing to start back, but in the end, everyone
02:56caught each other and it was just, no one wanted to give up any space, so everyone held
03:01their line and didn't want to play friendly, so you had to charge it up and forget about
03:05the roadbook and just walk past them and get in front.
03:08Three different manufacturers in the top three after the first special, Honda dominate overall,
03:12KTM are definitely back, and Hero are in the mix.
03:21Yes, Sebastian Bühner did crash, and yes, he is after the Dakar.
03:24The German broke his collarbone at kilometre 68.
03:29In the braking zone, I hit a rock that, look.
03:32No way.
03:33It just kicked you in the rear?
03:35Kicked the rear and then over the bars.
03:38The crash was not a big crash, but yeah, I feel the pain in the collarbone and it hurt
03:44too much to continue.
03:46This time, the luck was not on my side, but for sure, I will continue to search for it.
03:53Get well soon, Basti.
03:57Finding your way today was incredibly hard, and in the Rally 2 class, yesterday's surprise
04:02package, Edgar Canett, was one of those who got lost.
04:08His problems handed top spot to Bassworld KTM's Tobias Epster, who won original Beimotul
04:16last year.
04:21Some things you get used to seeing in the desert, but two former bike champions competing
04:25in a car, that's a first for me.
04:32Go, Tobias!
04:33Yeah!
04:36I'm Sam Sunderland.
04:37I used to be a Dakar rider.
04:40I managed to win two times in 17 and 22.
04:45I had a few crashes in between my victories and needed to listen to the warning signs
04:51so I'd stopped.
04:55Toby Price, two-time Dakar winner.
04:57I for sure wanted to do one or two more years.
05:01Unfortunately, the contract didn't get renewed.
05:05So between Price and Sunderland, there are four Dakar titles, 16 stage wins and 21 participations
05:11sitting in this Toyota Hilux Overdrive.
05:1312th on the prologue, not a bad start for Toby and Sam as they switch from two wheels
05:18to four.
05:19Stay tuned to see how they got on today.
05:21Remember Rokas Pasiuskas' final day heartbreak in 2023?
05:25Another bad day for the Lithuanian.
05:29We need to change from another tyres to put where it's broken.
05:33First day is not good.
05:35How we wish, but it is like it is.
05:39After bad luck yesterday, Guillaume de Mevius was hoping things would get better.
05:43They didn't.
05:45We had a bad day.
05:47Guillaume de Mevius was hoping things would get better.
05:49They didn't.
05:51We had some branches coming in the radiator that was creating the cooling,
05:55so we had to stop two times to remove them.
05:58No such issues for Saud Variawa.
06:00His top result last year was 5th, so 3rd place today, an improvement,
06:04but he was still frustrated.
06:07Sitting in the dust for about 150km behind one of the other guys.
06:13Nonetheless, really good.
06:14Second Dakar already running in the front, so I'm really happy with that.
06:18The South African turns 20 on Tuesday.
06:21This podium, an early birthday present.
06:31Gerland Schisserit and Alex Winok hit a tree on the prologue
06:34and finished down in 11th.
06:36Today, though, they crossed the line fastest, in first place.
06:39Or so we all thought.
06:43Because Seth Quintero had stopped to help Laia Sands.
06:48Unfortunately, Laia got in a big crash right in front of me,
06:51so we stopped and pulled over and it helped her.
06:53Seth and Dennis Zents were given that time back.
06:56Sportsmanship is built into the rules of Rally Raid,
06:58and that took the American to the top of the podium for the first time
07:01since debuting in the Ultimate Class last year.
07:04And because in the cars, the prologue times don't count towards the overall,
07:08the first standings are the same as the stage result.
07:10Carlos back in 7th, and no Nasser or Seb.
07:13But wait, I promised we'd see what happened to Toby and Sam.
07:16Oh, they were getting on just fine, no stress at all.
07:26Despite that little hiccup after the finish of the special,
07:28they made it back to the bivouac and line 9th overall.
07:36In the Challenger Class, 2nd and 3rd in the prologue
07:39battled it out all day for the win.
07:4116-time stage winner and 2019 quads champion,
07:44Nicolas Caballasso, against rookie Dakar debutant,
07:47Gonzalo Guerrero.
07:49Experience prevailed by 18 seconds.
07:58In the SSVs, it was a shootout between
08:00Sebastian Loeb racing teammate, Xavier Desultrate,
08:03and yesterday's winner, Brock Heger.
08:05The French title holder prevailed thanks to his superior navigation skills.
08:08After the two had been neck and neck,
08:10until the most complicated section of the route.
08:21Truck suspension takes some beating at the Dakar,
08:23especially on a day like this.
08:25Defending champion, Martin Maciek,
08:27was happy to only drop 2.5 minutes in 3rd place.
08:322nd was for Alex Lopreich,
08:34who's been chasing Dakar glory
08:36since all the way back in 2006.
08:38But for the 2nd day running,
08:40the check's outdone by a flying Dutchman,
08:42Mitchel van den Brink,
08:43and he's our first overall leader in the big beasts.
08:46Navigation's such a vital part of this sport,
08:49and today, cars, bikes, trucks, T3s and T4s
08:52all had huge problems at the same point.
08:54Some competitors lost not just their way,
08:56but a lot of time.
08:57Everyone got back eventually, and I'll be back tomorrow.
08:59I hope you join me.
09:06Subs by www.zeoranger.co.uk