• Dakar.Alonso, on the exit ramp of the Dakar: From 'Game of Thrones' to 'The Fantastic Car'

The Lithuanian Vaidotas Zala (Mini) gave the bell in the Dakar by winning the first stage ahead of all the favorite drivers of the rally, including Fernando Alonso (Toyota), who debuted with a remarkable performance where he was 15 minutes from the first leader of the race. At the wheel of one of Mini's 4x4s, Zala was the fastest car of the day by completing the timed stretch of the inaugural stage in 3 hours, 19 minutes and 4 seconds, which was 319 kilometers between the Saudi cities of Jeddah and Al Wajh . The Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel (Mini), thirteen times winner of the Dakar, was second at 2:14, while Carlos Sainz (Mini) was only 36 seconds behind the Frenchman.

Meanwhile, Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota), current Dakar champion, marked the best times in the first stages of the stage, but he was left without the triumph of the day because of three punctures in the final part of the route . Also, the Spanish Joan 'Nani' Roma , who was second in the general classification last year, had a bad debut at the wheel of the German brand Borgward at the end of the day 28 minutes from Zala.

The Lithuanian took the leading role of a day that had begun with the sights set on Fernando Alonso's debut in the Dakar, where he had a remarkable performance at the end of the eleventh position, 15 minutes from the best time. The Spaniard was able to roll to the rhythm of the best of the Dakar caravan in some sectors, but the lack of experience and a couple of punctures did not allow him to be up in his career premiere.

Unlike the last years, where the Dakar was inaugurated with a prologue stage of a few kilometers as a warm-up, this time the rally began strongly, and a journey on its first day of 752 kilometers, of which 319 timed.

Navigation was not easy either, because it had a bit of everything. First a series of sinuous tracks in canyons and dry rivers and then give way to the first dunes of this Dakar. Then the pilots crossed a section of interconnected dirt roads where it was easy to get disoriented and then gave way to another segment of dry rivers that ended up in a fast and long canyon.

Toby Price starts strong

The Australian Toby Price (KTM), the current Dakar champion, began defending his title by winning the inaugural stage. Price completed in 3: 19.22, ahead of the American Ricky Brabec (Honda), 2 minutes and 5 seconds; and the Austrian Matthias Walkner, 2 minutes and 40 seconds. The Spanish Joan Barreda (Honda) finished seventh to seven minutes and 51 seconds.

The Spaniards Joan Pedrero García and Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) were the first to start this Dakar and had to open the trail to the rest of the caravan, which harmed them at the end of the day, because they completed the route 25 minutes slower than Price. For his part, Laia Sanz , who was the eleventh to start the stage, finished in the twenty-first position, almost 24 minutes from his teammate.

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