Sainz will start 5th in stage 1 and Barreda will start from a large square

As everyone in Spain prepares to celebrate the last day of the year 2022, the 10 fastest drivers in the prologue of Dakar in cars and motorcycles they came out on the stage located in the central square of Dakar ‘Sea Camp’ on the coast of the Red Sea to select their starting position. In cars, there are no surprises. They all climb in reverse order to their position achieved in the prologue (from 10th to 1st) to choose the best starting position. No one wanted to open the track on the first day and everyone took the microphone to pick 10th place. As that happens, drivers who choose the 10th starting position move up the ranks. Except Matthias Ekstromwon Saturday’s qualifying special, picking ninth place with a laugh.

hInc. Lateganyoung star of Toyota, will have the difficult task of having to set the tone from the beginning, with no other references than the marks that the motorcycles may have left. Behind him, the ballot is for Orly Newfoundland, and above all, for its experienced Catalan sailor, Alex Haro, who had better have a more veteran crew in front of him to have a better wake. Carlos Sainz will start from fifth position after finishing 6th in the prologue. A good starting place for the Spaniard, although ahead of his greatest rivals for the final sceptre.

For his part, in the motorcycles, Joan Barreda, who was 4th in the prologue this Saturday, will start from far back, in 27th place, an ideal position to attack and scrape seconds from the crowd of his rivals following the marks left by 26 drivers. starts at the front, with only Ross Branch in the premier class starting behind him. Lawrence Santolinowho did not have a good prologue in a very tight qualifying round, had to start from eighth place, a position where he could give up some time.

Starting order of Top-10 cars in Stage 1:

1. Henk Lategan (Toyota)

2. Orlando Newfoundland (BRX) with Alex Haro

3. Jakub Przygonski (MINI X-Raid)

4. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Toyota)

5. Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz (Audi)

6. Guerlain Chicherit (BRX)

7. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota)

8. Stephane Peterhansel (Audi)

9. Mattias Ekstrom (Audi)

10. Sebastien Loeb (BRX)

Starting order of motorcycles in Stage 1:

1. Balooshi

2. Jose Ignacio Cornejo

3. Harith Ndah

4. Skyler Howes

5. Joan Pedrero

6. Maciej Genza

7. Rui Goncalves

8. Lorenzo Santolino

9. Franco Caimi

10. Daniel Nosiglia

11. Martin Micheck

12. Sebastian Buhler

13. Mason Klein

14. Adrien Van Beveren

15. Tosha Schareina

16. Luciano Bevanides

17. Stefan Svitko

18. Antonio Maio

19. Pablo Quintanilla

20. Joaquim Rodrigues

21. Ricky Brabec

22. Sam Sunderland

23. Mathias Walkner

24. Kevin Benavides

25. Daniel Sanders

26. Toby Price

27. Joan Barreda

28. Ross Branch