The Dakar Rally is officially underway after a short prologue on Friday that allowed the competitors to check their machinery and performances through a 158-kilometer-long stage that included a 28-km special through the Saudi Arabian desert.
“Instead of a sprint, it is a Dakar stage in concentrated form in which the competitors will slalom among rocks, on sand tracks and off-track sections,” a Dakar statement read.
“Such a rigorous test will guarantee that the prologue fulfills its fundamental purpose of separating the wheat from the chaff.”
More than 285 vehicles made it to the Dakar: 132 bikes, 70 cars, 36 SSV, and 47 trucks. Additionally, this year’s edition includes competitors from the W2RC championship, as it is now part of the official calendar.
According to the new FIA regulations, the times from the Prologue won’t be accounted, so all competitors will have the opportunity to start from a blank slate in Stage 1.
SSVs
The SSV category is one of the most flexible and entry-level categories in the Dakar Rally. Don’t be fooled, though, as the challenging desert of Saudi Arabia will never make it easy for anyone.
It was Xavier de Soultrait who took victory of the prologue. The French driver from the Sebastien Loeb Racing – Bardahl Team finished ahead of Joao Ferreira from Portugal by just 15 seconds.
Florent Vayssade, de Soultrait’s teammate, completed the podium.
Trucks
One of the most impressive categories of the Dakar are the trucks – the heavy but incredibly powerful machines blasted off to yet another edition without previous leading manufacturer Kamaz, who are unable to participate due to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
It was Netherland’s Janus Van Kasteren with the Boss Machinery Team who finished the line first in the prologue, however he was closely followed by Czech Republic’s Ales Loprais behind.
The day thankfully saw no withdrawals so far, meaning that the Dakar expects to have the full number of entrants beginning the real challenge tomorrow with Stage 1.
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