De Mevius leads the Dakar as Loeb and al-Attiyah lose time
The Toyota driver won Saturday’s tough opening stage in Saudi Arabia
07 January 2024 - 17:32
by Alan Baldwin
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Overdrive Racing’s Guillaume de Mevius and co-driver Xavier Panseri in action during stage 1 of the Dakar Rally between Alula to Al Henakiyah in Saudi Arabia, January 6 2024. Picture: HAMAD I MOHAMMED/REUTERS
London — Belgian Guillaume de Mevius took a surprise lead in the Dakar Rally after the Toyota driver won Saturday’s tough opening stage in Saudi Arabia while favourites Sebastien Loeb and Nasser al-Attiyah ran into trouble.
De Mevius finished the 414km stage from Al’Ula to Al Henakiyah 1min 44sec clear of Audi’s second-placed Spaniard Carlos Sainz.
Toyota’s South African Giniel de Villiers was third overall but 9:18 off the pace.
“I’m quite surprised, to be honest; we drove smart and avoided punctures and I think that was the key today. But I’m quite surprised to finish so high up,” de Mevius said.
The day’s big losers were al-Attiyah, the reigning champion, and nine-times world rally champion Loeb — both driving Prodrive Hunters.
Frenchman Loeb was 18th and more than 22min adrift while al-Attiyah, a five-times Dakar champion and winner for the past two years, was 21st.
“In the first 50km we had two punctures and then we cannot push. We just tried to manage [to reach] the finish,” al-Attiyah said.
Dakar record holder Stephane Peterhansel, a 14-times winner on two wheels and four, was 23rd.
The start of the first car was delayed after an incident with a spectator, who was taken to hospital, about 200m into the stage.
There was an immediate shock in the motorcycle category when Honda’s prologue winner Tosha Schareina retired with a broken left wrist after 240km.
“I tried to pass [Australian] Toby [Price] and I think I hit something with the rear wheel. I crashed in slow [speed] but I broke my wrist,” he said.
Botswana’s Ross Branch, who stopped to help Schareina and was credited with the lost time, led the motorcycle category after winning the stage ahead of Americans Ricky Brabec and Mason Klein.
In the SSV category, Brazilian Rodrigo Varela led after starting in a borrowed car after the ship carrying his original vehicle had to divert its route to escape Houthi pirates in the Red Sea and was delayed.
Varela, who was informed of the change on Christmas Day, was forced to find a replacement for his Can-Am UTV car, with the help of his father, former rally driver and Dakar champion Reinaldo Varela.
“We found a Can-Am in Portugal, owned by a driver who came to Brazil to race with us. But we had to make modifications and adaptations in a hurry. Fortunately, it worked and passed Dakar inspection,” Rodrigo said.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
De Mevius leads the Dakar as Loeb and al-Attiyah lose time
The Toyota driver won Saturday’s tough opening stage in Saudi Arabia
London — Belgian Guillaume de Mevius took a surprise lead in the Dakar Rally after the Toyota driver won Saturday’s tough opening stage in Saudi Arabia while favourites Sebastien Loeb and Nasser al-Attiyah ran into trouble.
De Mevius finished the 414km stage from Al’Ula to Al Henakiyah 1min 44sec clear of Audi’s second-placed Spaniard Carlos Sainz.
Toyota’s South African Giniel de Villiers was third overall but 9:18 off the pace.
“I’m quite surprised, to be honest; we drove smart and avoided punctures and I think that was the key today. But I’m quite surprised to finish so high up,” de Mevius said.
The day’s big losers were al-Attiyah, the reigning champion, and nine-times world rally champion Loeb — both driving Prodrive Hunters.
Frenchman Loeb was 18th and more than 22min adrift while al-Attiyah, a five-times Dakar champion and winner for the past two years, was 21st.
“In the first 50km we had two punctures and then we cannot push. We just tried to manage [to reach] the finish,” al-Attiyah said.
Dakar record holder Stephane Peterhansel, a 14-times winner on two wheels and four, was 23rd.
The start of the first car was delayed after an incident with a spectator, who was taken to hospital, about 200m into the stage.
There was an immediate shock in the motorcycle category when Honda’s prologue winner Tosha Schareina retired with a broken left wrist after 240km.
“I tried to pass [Australian] Toby [Price] and I think I hit something with the rear wheel. I crashed in slow [speed] but I broke my wrist,” he said.
Botswana’s Ross Branch, who stopped to help Schareina and was credited with the lost time, led the motorcycle category after winning the stage ahead of Americans Ricky Brabec and Mason Klein.
In the SSV category, Brazilian Rodrigo Varela led after starting in a borrowed car after the ship carrying his original vehicle had to divert its route to escape Houthi pirates in the Red Sea and was delayed.
Varela, who was informed of the change on Christmas Day, was forced to find a replacement for his Can-Am UTV car, with the help of his father, former rally driver and Dakar champion Reinaldo Varela.
“We found a Can-Am in Portugal, owned by a driver who came to Brazil to race with us. But we had to make modifications and adaptations in a hurry. Fortunately, it worked and passed Dakar inspection,” Rodrigo said.
Reuters
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