RALLY DAKAR 2024

Audi wins and Carlos Sainz plays strategy

Audi goes first... but not with Sainz. The prologue specialist of the German team, Mattias Ekström, has been the fastest in the appetizer that opens the Dakar 2024 and will be the one who tomorrow has the - theoretical - best starting position for the first major stage of the 46th edition.

The multiple world rallycross champion beat a surprising Seth Quintero, who in his car debut with the Toyota Hilux was 23 seconds behind the Swede... and had the pleasure of beating Sébastien Loeb, third with the Hunter. The Frenchman decided at the last moment to bet on fighting for a good starting position tomorrow and risking the victory... although two 'guests' slipped in.

Sainz plays strategy...Carlos Sainz made the opposite decision. Yesterday he already anticipated that there would be strategies in the prologue and he has been one of the protagonists. El Matador left 2:18 behind the winner... leaving him outside the top 10 and starting tomorrow from further back, specifically, from 48th (distance is not important since time does not count for the general classification in the cars).

Something excessive according to the calculations that had been made at Audi for this strategy (they intended to be between 15th and 20th), which went a bit to waste when an unforeseen loss of time was added due to a navigation error. That will put you in some trouble tomorrow. First, because from that position the participants leave from minute to minute, so you should catch the slow cars early... and you may have problems passing them. And even more so if, additionally, the dreaded dust appears.

This is how he explained it at the finish line: "It has been an interesting prologue to see the performance of the car. We have played a little bit of strategy... and tomorrow we will have to see how it goes behind." So he did not know his final position, which was further behind than he initially expected in Audi's idea of unfolding strategies with the drivers. In fact, Peterhansel (5th) also went strong today to find a counterpoint with his veteran teammate.

Nani Roma was also unable to place his Ford among the best, although he will not start as far as Sainz (provisionally 15th), just behind the Toyota of Lucas Moraes / Armand Monleón.

The current defender of the crown, Nasser Al-Attiyah lost some time in his first outing with the Hunter in the Dakar and finished outside the top 10, so he will start, like Sainz, behind. "It has been a good start, I am happy with the performance of the car. We made a small mistake because there are many lines and we missed a junction a little," he explained at the finish line.

The prologue is usually an ideal moment for some outsiders to shine... and that is what has happened with names that will not be common in the top 10 in the coming days, such as Baumgart, Prokop, Holowczyc, Baud or Baragwanath. It should also be noted that five different cars have been included in that group of chosen ones: Audi, Toyota, Prodrive Hunter, Ford and Century.

Choice of starting order...As expected, the drivers chose to reverse their positions from the prologue in choosing the starting order for tomorrow, the first stage of the Dakar Rally that will be held between Al-Ula and Al Henakiyah, with 405 kilometers of timed special for a total of 532 kilometers of route. Mattias Ekström will start tenth while the responsibility of opening will be for South African Brian Baragwanath.

Reporter: Enrique Naranjo