The 45th edition of the Dakar Rally kicked off this morning near the Sea Camp bivouac, with a fast 13-kilometer prologue special stage that took place along the seaside. The slippery and delicate terrain was a trap for the competitors, requiring them to ride cautiously and avoiding taking risks. The classification of the prologue determines the starting order for tomorrow's first stage.
In this very first contact with the terrain and the bikes, the Rieju Team rider who set the fastest time was Dani Nosiglia, who completed the special stage without any problems, finishing in 21st place overall with a time of 08:45, while Diego Llanos finished 43rd overall with a time of 09:03, 14th in Rally2. Sandra Gómez, who preferred to take it easy, came in 95th with a time of 09:49, finishing second among the women. Pato Cabrera is 98th with a time of 09:56.
Quotes from the riders:
#54 Dani Nosiglia:
"I'm really happy. It was a super fast prologue, it's the first contact we have in the race, it was very short but good, I had a very good feeling on the bike and very satisfied with the result, there are many fast riders, so I'll try to give everything every day to be there in the frontline".
#56 Sandra Gomez:
"Good, we started without crashes, I was quite calm, but I didn't want to be too far behind either, it's a first contact and that's it, there's not much more, it was just ten minutes to get into the race a little bit, especially mentally, making sure we didn't miss anything, that the bike goes well and not much else, tomorrow the real race begins."
#29 Diego Llanos:
"We have completed the first day of prologue, the truth is that I feel good after an accident I had yesterday in the shakedown, I have increased the pace halfway through the prologue, so we start in a group that is going to be fast, I feel comfortable in this group, so let's get ready to face the first 600 kilometers tomorrow."
#35 Patricio Cabrera:
"First prologue stage, the truth is that I'm happy, we appeased the eagerness, it was a fast prologue, a rider fell right in front of me, so I preferred to go a little more calm after the accident, but happy to start and excited about this tenth Dakar for me, tomorrow everything starts with a long special, the Dakar has only just begun."
On the first stage tomorrow January 1, 2023, SEA CAMP-SEA CAMP the riders will ride a loop with 234 km liaison and 367 km of timed special stage, combining areas of small stones and sandy tracks, plus the appearance of the first dunes.
*Riders' rankings may vary depending on last-minute penalties.
