The 2025 Dakar Rally started with a short, 29-km 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 on 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.

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Competitors were faced with mix of surfaces including large rocks. Halfway through the course, racers encountered sections where criss-crossing 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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Early Pace

The fastest man through the prologue, Lategan, started 11th. It was Guillaume de Mévius (Mini X-Raid) who opened the road for the cars. However, it was Lategan’s teammate Saood Variawa who set the early pace, leading through the first check point. But that did not last long as Mattias Ekström (Ford Raptor) took the lead. Variawa reapplied the pressure and once again surged to the top of the timesheets about halfway through the stage.

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Trading Blows

It was a ding-dong battle as each crew passed subsequent check points. De Mevius, Variawa, Lucas Moraes (Toyota Gazoo Racing) and De Mevius’ teammate Joao Ferreira all getting in on the act. One thing is certain, there will be a proper fight between all teams/brands for overall honours at this year’s event.

At the Flag

A late charge by Guerlain Chicherit (Mini X-Raid) meant that he took the stage win by 50 seconds over Seth Quintero (Toyota Gazoo Racing). The Frenchman fought his way through an army of bushes, losing parts of his vehicle in the process. His stage win today is Mini’s first since the 2021 Dakar. Variawa’s pace netted him third place.

However, Seth Quintero was credited 95 seconds after the finish. He stopped to assist Laia Sanz after the Catalan driver crashed. This puts the Californian 45 seconds ahead of Guerlain Chicherit and makes him the actual winner of the stage.

Privateer Martin Prokop (Ford) was fourth ahead of Cristina Gutiérrez (Dacia Sandrider). Defending champ Carlos Sainz (Ford Raptor) was eighth. Prologue winner Lategan was 22nd after being handed a 10 min time penalty. His teammate Giniel de Villiers down in 18th.

Standings after 2025 Dakar Stage 1

    1. Seth Quintero (Toyota Gazoo Racing) 4 hr 35 min 08 sec
    2. Guerlain Chicherit (X-Raid Mini) +55 sec
    3. Saood Variawa (Toyota Gazoo Racing) +1 min 48 sec
    4. Martin Prokop (Ford) +1 min 49 sec
    5. Cristina Gutiérrez (Dacia Sandrider) +2 min 13 sec
    6. Joao Ferreira (X-Raid Mini) +2 min 38 sec
    7. Lucas Moraes (Toyota Gazoo Racing) +3 min 18 sec
    8. Carlos Sainz (Ford M-Sport) +3 min 27 sec
    9. Guillaume de Mévius (Mini X-Raid) +5 min 37 sec
    10. Marcelo Gastaldi (CRT) +5 min 43 sec

Times were correct at the time of publication, full stage results can be found here.