Carlos Sainz, Kevin Benavides and Chaleco López all dug deep to shine in Sunday’s tricky Stage One of the 45th edition of motorsport’s toughest test of endurance, the Dakar Rally. The 2023 Dakar Rally wasted no time in serving up drama on the sands of Saudi Arabia as Sunday’s stage one saw the bike race’s defending champion crash out, while fresh-faced challengers excelled. New Year’s Day brought with it an ultra-tough 368km loop stage around the Dakar’s Sea Camp in Yanbu with motorsport legend Carlos Sainz claiming his 42nd Dakar stage win in an Audi RS Q e-tron E2 alongside co-driver Lucas Cruz. “This was just the first stage, but it already feels like proper Dakar,” Vidal said.

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