The 47th edition of the Dakar has set a date for the world's rally-raiders in Saudi Arabia from 3 to 17 January.
More information:
https://www.dakar.com
https://www.facebook.com/Dakar
https://www.twitter.com/Dakar
https://www.instagram.com/DakarRally
#Dakar2025
© Amaury Sport Organisation - https://www.aso.fr
More information:
https://www.dakar.com
https://www.facebook.com/Dakar
https://www.twitter.com/Dakar
https://www.instagram.com/DakarRally
#Dakar2025
© Amaury Sport Organisation - https://www.aso.fr
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SportTranscription
00:00Why wouldn't anyone participate in the Dakar?
00:11Sometimes I ask myself that when I'm out there.
00:17Dakar is the ultimate test of human endurance.
00:23Dakar honestly is a love-hate relationship, you know.
00:29They'll think you're ready for it because no matter how ready you are,
00:35you're not ready.
00:38You can never be ready for the Dakar, they say,
00:40but we're as prepared as we can be to bring you our usual high-octane,
00:44high-drama, highlights each day.
00:46The question is, are you ready for the 47th edition of the biggest,
00:50most prestigious, most challenging event of them all?
00:53You are?
00:53Then let's start our engines and roar into the desert
00:56because the Dakar is back.
00:59Welcome to Dakar 2025.
01:03Over to you, Pablo.
01:08This is my 13th Dakar, so I have a couple of kilometres on the body.
01:15This is a dream that I've had since I was three years old,
01:18and now to do it as my job is like the coolest thing ever.
01:21We're here in the same colours this year, so for us, it's really special.
01:27To come back with the number one place is a dream come true,
01:29so what better way can you start 2025?
01:33Retaining the titles, it's never easy, you know.
01:35Finishing the Dakar is not even easy.
01:38I'm ready for the next 15 days of adventure, war, race, fight.
01:51Right there is the start of the unknown for us.
01:57And like Frozen's Queen Elsa heading into the unknown,
02:00first on Friday morning, Chilean Thomas de Gavardo,
02:03who had the honour of opening this edition of the Dakar.
02:06Reigning champion Ricky Braybeck,
02:08less than three months after suffering a plateau fracture of his tibia,
02:12posted fourth-fastest time of the day.
02:14But he's not the only one.
02:16But he was bettered by Rally 2's Edgar Canet.
02:18Now I'm here with the dream bike, dream team, super happy.
02:23And let's see how it goes.
02:27Well, I'd say it went pretty well for the Dakar rookie.
02:30He's only 19 years old.
02:34What a start for the young Spanish sensation.
02:40I got somebody in front, I did,
02:43I got somebody in front, I did a little bit of dust,
02:46but for the moment, I think I made a good job.
02:50Number two on the day has the number one on his plate.
02:53World champion Ross Branch, the smiling Motswana,
02:56was just four-tenths of a second quicker than Canet.
03:03It wasn't easy for the Rally GP boys today,
03:05because more than 100 Rally 2 guys set off ahead of them.
03:09But it was no sweat for Ross Branch.
03:13Yeah, it's a really good way to get the nerves away,
03:16you know, wide open for 30 kilometers,
03:19and it's so good to be back.
03:21Hungry for more.
03:23Our first winner of the year on two wheels, though,
03:25taking a fifth career stage victory,
03:27Australian Daniel Sanders.
03:29Tucky, as he's known, threw everything at this first day,
03:32and at the end of the special,
03:3312 seconds ahead of Branch and Canet.
03:38In the top ten,
03:39five Hondas, four KTMs and one hero,
03:41although arguably two heroes,
03:43the one that Ross Branch rides,
03:45and that boy Edgar Canet.
03:48Other than him,
03:49the big news in the Rally 2 division
03:51was the abandon of last year's winner,
03:53Harit Noah.
03:54A fractured wrist for the Indian
03:56meant a very premature end to his sixth participation.
03:59We'll miss his smiling face and his cheery demeanor
04:02for the next two weeks.
04:03Get well soon, Harit.
04:10Wednesday was a big day for motorsports legend,
04:13Jacky Ickx.
04:15It's a very special day for me.
04:18It's D-Day.
04:20Monsieur Lemont won that race six times,
04:22along with eight Formula One Grand Prix
04:24and Paris-Dakar in 1983.
04:29I'm not nostalgic about my past.
04:32I am nostalgic about the people I met.
04:35It's wonderful to be with you.
04:37Happy 80th birthday
04:39to one of our sport's greatest ever names.
04:44In the Ultimates class,
04:46three names stand out.
04:49Carlos.
04:50New challenge, new car, new team.
04:52A lot of new things, obviously,
04:54new race, so ready to fight.
04:58Nasser.
04:59We are here, you know, to win
05:01and to do our best and to put the Dacia in the top.
05:04And Seb.
05:05We started with big special stages in the first week.
05:07We know it's never easy to get everything right,
05:10so we'll try to do that well.
05:12But for now, everything is looking good.
05:17But there were early issues for last year's runner-up,
05:20Guillaume de Mevius.
05:21He's now in a Mini with co-driver Mathieu Baumel.
05:24All you'll remember has been Nasser Alatia's navigator
05:27for the past decade.
05:28Nasser Alatia.
05:33A good reminder of this country and this area.
05:36Last year I had a bad prologue and I had a good race,
05:39so I hope I will do the same.
05:41Nasser Alatia is in a Dacia
05:43with new co-pilot Edouard Boulanger,
05:45himself a previous champion with Mr Dakar,
05:48Stéphane Petterhansel.
05:49The pair have already won Morocco,
05:51Portugal and Abu Dhabi.
05:55Prologue is really fast and tough
05:57and a lot of navigation, not easy for first car.
06:00A lot of trees, you know, between all the trees
06:03and it was not easy.
06:04But OK, this is Dakar, you know.
06:07Welcome to Dakar.
06:08Like de Mevius, Guerlain Chicharit
06:10has made the switch to X-Ray Mini
06:12and like de Mevius, he suffered in the prologue.
06:19I was really in the heavy dust
06:20and some corners I could not see and I missed one
06:23and I go straight and I hit some
06:25this small kind of small trees
06:27and ripped the front of the car a little bit
06:29but it's not that bad, it's not mechanical,
06:31it's just body work.
06:3311th for the Frenchman
06:34but only 42 seconds down on the day's winner.
06:37Swedish pairing Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergqvist
06:39were second fastest in their Ford M Sport T1 Plus Raptor
06:43and their highest ever finish being 9th in 2022.
06:46They're hoping for more.
06:50I'm just happy to have the opportunity
06:52with Ford and M Sport to go and do this
06:54because I love this sport
06:55and I want to come back to Dakar
06:57as many times as possible
06:59and trying to win the race for sure.
07:00But the prologue belonged to Henk Lartegen
07:02who was definitely not late again.
07:04He and Brett Cummings were certainly humming.
07:06A second quicker than Ekström,
07:0720 up on Alatia, low but 33
07:10and reigning champ Carlos Sainz
07:11one minute 14 down.
07:14I like the way the organisers changed the rules
07:16for the prologue.
07:17Now at least everybody has to push.
07:19If you don't then you might open the stage
07:21so it was really good, nice.
07:24An honourable mention as well
07:26to Lithuanian Rokas Basiuska
07:28who posted the 4th best time
07:29on his first Dakar outing in the class.
07:312nd in T4 and 23,
07:333rd in T3 last year.
07:35The rocket looked pretty good in his Toyota.
07:39In the challenger class
07:40title holder Kristina Gutierrez
07:42has now switched to ultimates
07:44but her ex-teammates at Red Bull Offroad Junior Team
07:46started with another win.
07:48His name could be straight out of the TV show
07:50Bridgerton.
07:51Corbyn Leverton was lord of the prologue
07:53on a first Dakar start.
07:55Another debutant, Portugal's Gonçalo Guerreiro
07:574 seconds back.
07:59Double stage winner Nicolas Cavagliasso in 3rd.
08:03And another rookie winner from the US in T4
08:05Brock Heger.
08:06The 24-year-old racing his first ever road book rally
08:09but he's been training with legendary coach Jimmy Lewis
08:12and it's clearly paying off.
08:13Heger and Max Eddy outpaced
08:15Jeremias Gonçalves
08:17and defending champion Xavier Desaltres.
08:20The early pace setter in the truck
08:22Mitchell Vandenbrink
08:23who started his 7th Dakar
08:25at the age of 22.
08:26Kids these days, huh?
08:28In 2nd
08:29Vaidottas Chala
08:30making his competitive debut in the class
08:32after 9 editions in the cars.
08:34And not far behind
08:35defending champion Martin Maciek
08:37whose MM Technology team
08:39have built 9 of the 44 trucks
08:41taking part this year.
08:46It's gruelling
08:47brutal
08:48punishing
08:49and cruel
08:50unrelenting
08:51uplifting
08:52unrivaled
08:53and unique.
08:54Exciting
08:55engrossing
08:56energising
08:57enthralling
08:58Happy New Year
08:59Happy New Dakar
09:00We'll be here tomorrow.
09:02Make sure you are.