The 2025 Dakar Rally started with a short, 29km prologue, which was led by SA driver Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing), as you can read at this link.
The short-timed section was used to determine the starting order of 2025 Dakar stage 1. The times set in the prologue do not count towards the overall standings.
As a result, the clock to determine the leaderboard started today. The first competitive stage was a 413-km loop to and from Bisha.
Competitors were faced with a mix of surfaces including large rocks. Halfway through the course, racers encountered sections where crisscrossing tracks made navigation tricky.
The ten fastest drivers from the prologue were able to choose their starting position within the top 30. Some teams started out of place, ie further down the field than they’d otherwise be, which meant that names yo-yo’d on the timing sheets all day.
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