The opening stage of the 2025 Dakar Rally was won by Toyota driver Seth Quintero, as you can read at this link. Race organisers were not playing around as the second stage was a 967-km loop to and from Bisha. 2025 Dakar Stage 2a was held earlier today (Sunday) with the stage only ending tomorrow (Monday) afternoon.

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When the clock struck five, the entrants had to stop at the next, of six, rest areas that punctuated the course of the special. Racers had to spend the night in the desert, camping under the stars next to direct rivals. It is described as The quintessential rally-raid experience by the race director. There is no outside assistance allowed at these overnight stops.

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The Race Starts Proper

Many top crews were sandbagging in the early stages of the race. This allowed them to avoid starting near the front of the field, which is usually disadvantageous. The 48 hr Chrono would be the first day we got to see the real pace of the front-running teams that were all strategising until now. The downside of starting up front was immediately felt up front as Quintero was passed by Guerlain Chicherit (X-Raid Mini) early in the day. The other podium sitter from stage one, Saood Variawa (Toyota Gazoo Racing), had mechanical issues which halted his progress for half a hour.

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Over, but not out

Big news for the day was the crash of Carlos Sainz (Ford M-Sport). The defending champion rolled his steed about 330 km into the nearly thousand kilometre stage. He and his co-driver were unhurt. The pair lost some time while they waited for teammate Mitch Guthrie to pulled the stricken machine back onto its wheels. With some makeshift panel-beating the Spaniard was back on his way. The prolonged stop will hurt his chances of a title defense.

Sebastien Loeb (Dacia Sandrider) was another who struggled today. The Frenchman came to a stop for the first time at the 409-km mark, where he was joined by teammate Cristina Gutiérrez. He managed to get going again but came to a halt shortly after before setting off again. Sainz and Loeb will be at a complete disadvantage tonight without any outside assistance.

On the Charge

Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing) was the man on a mission today. He battled five-time winner Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia Sandrider) and Guy Botterill (Toyota Gazoo Racing) and Mattias Ekström (Ford Raptor) at the top of the timesheets. As the day progressed it was clear that local lad Al Rajhi and Al-Attiyah were the men to beat. The pair were fastest of all and pushed at an extremely quick pace.

At 17:00 (Saudi Arabian time) the day’s racing was called to a halt. Teams then made their way to the next nearest overnight rest stop. The times are, therefore, completely provisional and the winner of the second stage will only be known tomorrow. However, the provisional standings show that over 20 cars had made it as far as camp E, with F being the last option.

Al Rajhi sits atop the provisional list followed by Al-Attiyah. Mattias Ekstrom sits third, proving to be the quickest of the Ford drivers throughout the day. Prologue winner Henk Lategan was the fastest South African, holding station in fourth. Other South Africans Guy Botterill and former winner Giniel de Villiers were both in the top ten when racing ceased. Loeb was 17th and Sainz lies in 25th place.

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.