The current season of the prestigious Dakar Rally has commenced with its prologue stage which consists of a 27-kilometer timed run mostly on the sand and with its conclusion, let’s look at the highlights and results from the initial stage of the 2024 season.
Two-wheeler: Tosha Schareina puts Honda at the top of the podium
Taking part in his third Dakar Rally, Tosha Schareina marked an amazing first stage victory to kick off his prologue into the season, marking his first official victory. The Honda rider bested Daniel Sanders, the GASGAS factory rider by 12’’, with Ross Branch, riding his Hero into the third place with 19″ behind Schareing. Another Honda, ridden by Adrien Van Beveren, finished in fourth, 24″ behind the Spaniard.
An ideal start to his third Dakar for @RallyTeamHRC's @ToshaSchareina winning the Bikes prologue 🏍 #Dakar2024 pic.twitter.com/H8ooEsnzMv
— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 5, 2024
Four-wheeler: Mattias Ekström clinches his third Dakar Rally stage victory
Swedish driver Mattias Ekström, who is on his fourth Dakar Rally season, finished with his third stage victory with his triumph in the prologue of the 2024 season. The 45-year-old veteran was followed by Seth Quintero, who finished 23″ seconds behind Ekström in his first ultimate class after an amazing performance in the T3 class. Sébastien Loeb came third, sharing the clock with Marcos Baumgart.
Prologue done ✅
We went flat out and got the Prologue win. It gives us a chance to take a better starting position for Stage 1 .#GoHardOrGoHome #AudiSport #Dakar2024 pic.twitter.com/5ZDgteNxCQ— Mattias Ekström (@mattiasekstroem) January 5, 2024
Quads: Top two podium finishes for Argentina
It was a stellar closure of the day for Argentina in the quads as Francisco Moreno, into his third Dakar Rally, outdid his countryman Manuel Andújar to secure the top spot, marking his third stage win. Andújar, the 2021 Dakar winner finished 28″ behind his fellow Argentine. Two-time champion Alexandre Giroud clocked 1’14’’ behind Moreno.
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