Henk Lategan takes the lead in the prologue of the 47th Dakar Rally, setting the stage for the grueling race across Saudi Arabia.
South Africa's driver Henk Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings rode during the prologue of the 47th Dakar Rally in Bisha, Saudi Arabia, on January 3, 2025. Lategan, driving a Toyota Hilux, finished a second clear of Sweden's Mattias Ekstrom over the 29km run in Bisha, with five-time Dakar champion Nasser al-Attiyah of Qatar third.
The prologue times do not count towards the overall standings but those in the top 10 get to choose their starting position for the first stage on Saturday, a 499km route featuring 413km of timed sectors. Sebastien Loeb came seventh but Carlos Sainz, who became the oldest winner of the race last year at the age of 61, was down in 25th place. Australian Daniel Sanders was the quickest of the motorbikes on his KTM, ahead of Botswana's Ross Branch and Spanish teenager Edgar Canet. A 434-strong colorful caravan made up of cars, bikes, quads and trucks set out from Bisha for the opening prologue. Twelve stages now await the 778 competitors from 72 countries, with a January 17 finish in Shubaytah, on the border of the United Arab Emirates. This year's route includes a second 48-hour stage in the Empty Quarter, a vast sea of sand with dunes as far as the eye can see. The 47th running of the event may be called the Dakar, but the last time the Senegalese capital actually hosted the finish was way back in 2007 -- the security situation in Mauritania forced the 2008 cancellation. The Saudis are spending billions to turn the conservative Arab monarchy often criticized for its human rights record into a major sporting force as it tries to diversify its economy away from oil
DAKAR RALLY SAUDI ARABIA HENK LATEGAN MOTORSPORTS DESERT RACES
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