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
00:00Yeah, I'm OK, but my nose won't stop bleeding. I can't stop the bleeding on my nose.
00:12You need medical assistance for that?
00:14Yes, I need some help for my nose. Yes, please.
00:17OK, the helicopter is on the road.
00:23James Hillier knows how bloody demanding the Dakar is.
00:26He was here two years ago, but yesterday hit him hard.
00:29And he was by no means the only one.
00:39Barbara Holaker and Lucy Engover's pink Citroen 2CV couldn't make it.
00:43And top 20 last year, but Portugal's Antonio Maio was stuck in a rut on day one.
00:53Maio really needed another pair of hands.
01:00Lorenzo Santolino was on his way.
01:05But he didn't stop to help.
01:07And nor did his team-mate, Rui Gonsalves.
01:13But eventually, Bolivian Daniel Locilia Jagger was the day's Good Samaritan.
01:19Now, today and tomorrow is one special split over two days in what we call a 48-hour chrono.
01:25Stages 2A and 2B.
01:28But what does that actually mean in 30 seconds?
01:30It's 9.58K for bikes, 9.71K for everyone else,
01:33six temporary camps called break zones along the way, each with an arrival time limit.
01:37Today, Stage 2A, competitors went as far as they could,
01:40but had to stop at the furthest camp they could reach before its time ran out.
01:43When they entered that, their clock stopped for the day.
01:45Tomorrow it starts again, when they leave the bivouac and head for the finish line,
01:47where their total time over both days determines the result of the special.
01:50Mechanics were allowed at kilometre 168 to work on vehicles,
01:53but overnight, no phones, no contact, no loos, no showers, survival rations,
01:56and everyone sleeps in tents under the desert sky.
01:59Boom!
02:03Feeling pretty sore.
02:04Not the way you want to start a rally, especially with the next stages.
02:08For sure going to try to conserve my body,
02:11so I can get back and get a massage.
02:1648 hours to cover 1,000 kilometres.
02:18I've never done this one.
02:19Are you afraid of that, of this new challenge?
02:21No, no, because if I'm afraid, then I'm less of a man than everybody else, you know,
02:25so everybody's up for the task, so am I.
02:28Al Belushi opened again today, like yesterday,
02:30but he wasn't at the front for long.
02:31Tosha, Pablo and Ricky were on his tail.
02:38You know, the strategy is just to make it, you know, the next two days.
02:42No strategy. Full gas.
02:45Get as far as we can go is, I guess, the strategy.
02:48We'll probably be doing about 500, 600 kilometres today, so let's see.
02:52Because it's going to be a long one, I think.
02:56Yes, Ross, indeed it is.
02:57Long and unforgiving on the body, the bikes and the mind.
03:00Stunning scenery as always,
03:02and of course some of these boys just can't help themselves.
03:04And don't we love it.
03:13Branch is a rider full of confidence since becoming world champ,
03:16and his dream is to go one better than runner-up spot 12 months ago.
03:19Botswana's hero had no issues today.
03:23Botswana is where you'll find big cats,
03:25but Ricky is purring right now too.
03:28Nobody's won back-to-back Dakars on a bike since Mark Comer 10 years ago.
03:32Could he? Might he? Will he?
03:38Right now, though, they are all chasing Aussie Daniel Sanders.
03:42Back in 2023, he was unlucky, Chucky,
03:45breaking wrist and elbow in a kerb crash on a liaison.
03:48But fortune favours the brave,
03:50and the way he's stormed through the first three days racing,
03:532022's best rookie, is going to be hard to get over.
03:59Branch running about six minutes off the pace in third,
04:02but these standings don't really mean much just yet.
04:07The KTM boys are also rocking the show in Rally 2,
04:10locking out the top three in the virtual standings.
04:13Chucky's team-mate Edgar Canet is back on top,
04:15ahead of overnight leader Tobias Ebster.
04:21Not far behind them, Mike Doherty.
04:23Good to see the South African back out there today,
04:26after a bit of a scare yesterday.
04:32There's about 13 minutes separating the trio.
04:40Jeez.
04:42What the fuck was that?
04:46It was fast. It was super difficult.
04:49Very physical.
04:50Tough stage.
04:51Full of trees.
04:52A lot of stones.
04:53Tricky, tricky day.
04:55Yeah, I messed up. I messed up bad.
04:58I'm happy, but I'm mad. I'm happy and I'm mad. I don't know.
05:05Today is really very tough.
05:07We need to manage without any problems, without any risk.
05:11And at the same time, we need to be really fast.
05:14It will be important to find the right rhythm,
05:16not to destroy everything and to reach the end.
05:19So it's what we will try to do.
05:21Even if we lose a little bit of time opening,
05:23or maybe a miracle happens and we end up winning again,
05:25we've got a long way to go,
05:26so two really start worrying about it.
05:28After a super tricky first special,
05:30if the drivers were expecting an easier ride today,
05:32they were sadly mistaken.
05:34Seth Quintero cursed himself earlier
05:36because his strong drive yesterday
05:38meant he had to open the road.
05:42João Ferreira, quicksand.
05:45Guillaume de Mevias, sandpit.
05:51Carlos Sainz, sand surfer.
05:55And...
05:57sand roller.
06:03Mitch Guthrie, sand saviour.
06:07Mitch Guthrie, sand saviour.
06:14You weren't supposed to pull the bloody doors off, Mitch.
06:29One of the curiosities of the day
06:31was effectively a pit stop at 168 kilometres.
06:37Mechanics, ready!
06:39Contenders, ready!
06:42The early sections were pretty rocky,
06:44so there was a chance to replace tyres and carry on.
06:47Hardly Formula 1, but the clock kept ticking,
06:50so speed was of the essence.
06:55Nasser, you will go on my first whistle.
07:00And go he did, briefly taking the lead 50 kilometres later.
07:06It's electronics. It starts, it stops.
07:08It starts on its own, eventually it cuts.
07:10In fact, you can't do much.
07:14Bivouac E was at 626km.
07:16Third quickest car to reach it was the Ford of Mathias Ekström.
07:20The Swede mashed up the sand and roasted most of his rivals.
07:24Top two on stage 2A were in a class of their own though.
07:27Nasser Alatier chasing Yazeed Al-Raji non-stop for seven hours.
07:31The Dacia sandrider lived up to its name.
07:34But Yazeed put his Toyota into overdrive.
07:36And as the crews set up camp tonight,
07:38it's the local boy at the top of the leaderboard.
07:40Al-Raji was leading the rally raid when the 48-hour chrono started last year,
07:44but crashed out once it got underway.
07:46This year, day one went much better,
07:48and he ends the first day in one piece and position one.
08:04In the T3s, Nicolas Cavigliasso was second on the prologue and won yesterday.
08:08He and Valentino Pertigarini were the most impressive pairing again today,
08:12leading the first part of this double-day dune fest ahead of ex-biker Paul Spearings.
08:17Pau Navarro third quickest, but can anyone challenge the Argentinian tomorrow?
08:34T4 leader and defending champion Xavier Dessaultre seems utterly free of stress or strain.
08:40And while that can change quickly, the Frenchman started with constant consistency,
08:44and the Seb Loeb racing team looked the one to beat.
08:46He and Brock Hegger, the only ones to reach Bivouac D.
08:55When the trucks hit the dunes today, they went every which way.
08:57Up, down, left, forwards, right, backwards, in, out, shake it all about.
09:02But Alistair Opreich and Vaidot Asala made it to Bivouac C at kilometre 546,
09:07as did Martin Maciek, who laid the foundations for victory last year in the 48-hour chrono.
09:15Didn't believe me about them going backwards. I did tell you.
09:21Hokey-cokey, everything to play for tomorrow. Maciek grabbed the virtual lead.
09:27Every participant is in a tent tonight, having to work on their own vehicles and cook for themselves.
09:32But there are 25 guys who do that every single night,
09:35with no outside assistance, no support staff, completely self-sufficient.
09:39These riders are the true soul of the Dakar, the original Baimatul class.
09:44Class indeed. Class dismissed. See you tomorrow.