Brabec, Sainz Atop 2023 Dakar Rally Standings After Stage 1 Victories

The first 367 kilometers of the 2023 Dakar Rally are in the books, after racers took on the Stage 1 Sea Camp loop earlier today with no time to waste in the new year. When all was said and done, several penalties reshaped the motorcycle standings and put 2020 winner Ricky Brabec on top, while Carlos Sainz overcame an early puncture to score his 42^nd career Dakar stage victory in the car class.

Initially, Australian Daniel Sanders looked to make it two wins in two days for riders from down under, as the runner-up to countryman Toby Price in yesterday’s Prologue had the original winning time of 4:12:55. However, two minutes worth of speeding penalties—along with two for Pablo Quintanilla and a minute for Joan Barreda—reshaped the top five, giving Brabec the victory by 19 seconds over Kevin Benavides. Price was third on the day, with Barreda and Sanders sliding to fourth and fifth.

Carlos Sainz (ESP) of Team Audi Sport is seen after winning stage 01 of Rally Dakar2023 in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia on January 01, 2023 // Marcelo Maragni / Red Bull Content Pool

A late charge from Sainz allowed him to surpass Audi teammate Mattias Ekstrom in the late running of the stage, giving him a 10-second gap on Sebastien Loeb and 33-second gap on Ekstrom at the line. Ekstrom would also receive a 15-minute penalty after the stage, dropping him all the way to 13^th and moving Yazeed Al Rajhi into third.

Ekstrom wasn’t the only driver to have 15 minutes tacked onto his time, though. The same penalty dropped SSV Prologue winner Rokas Baciuska from the top spot to ninth in class today, giving Dakar rookie Eryk Goczal a stage win in his first true attempt as he competes alongside his father Marek (who placed seventh today) and uncle Michal (who was third).

Francisco Chaleco Lopez (CHL) of Red Bull Can-Am Factory Team races during stage 01 of Rally Dakar2023 around Yanbu, Saudi Arabia on January 01, 2023 // Marcelo Maragni / Red Bull Content Pool

In the Lightweight Prototype division, defending winner Chaleco Lopez headed up a top five split by just four minutes, with Americans Seth Quintero and AJ Jones third and fourth, respectively. Rounding out the day’s stage winners were a pair of respective class favorites, Alexandre Giroud in quads and Martin Macik in trucks.

2023 Dakar Rally Stage 1 winners were as follows:

• Bikes: Ricky Brabec, 4:14:10
• Quads: Alexandre Giroud, 4:55:28
• Cars: Carlos Sainz, 3:28:55
• Lightweight Prototype: Chaleco Lopez, 3:57:40
• SSV: Eryk Goczal, 4:11:58
• Truck: Martin Macik, 3:57:18
• Classic: Jerome Galpin, 57 points

2023 Dakar Rally class leaders are as follows:

• Bikes: Ricky Brabec, 4:14:10
• Quads: Alexandre Giroud, 4:55:28
• Cars: Carlos Sainz, 3:28:55
• Lightweight Prototype: Chaleco Lopez, 3:57:40
• SSV: Eryk Goczal, 4:11:58
• Truck: Martin Macik, 3:57:18
• Classic: Jerome Galpin, 57 points

Coverage of today’s Dakar Rally action will debut on Peacock at 6:30PM ET. Tomorrow’s Stage 2 will see racers head from Sea Camp to Al Ula, taking on 430 kilometers of competition featuring closed tracks early on and dunes at the finish.