Although American Ricky Brabec finished well down in the standings (24th) on day 1 of the Dakar Rally, his HRC - Honda Racing Corporation / Monster Energy teammate Kevin Benavides challenged for the lead all day and finished a close 2nd.
The 2021 Dakar Rally got off to a tough start with a 623-kilometre stage – including 277 kilometres against the clock – which turned out to be both highly-technical and navigationally complex. After setting off from Jeddah this morning, riders faced a long 311-kilometre liaison section on asphalt before reaching the start of the timed special, which, contrary to what had been announced in last night’s briefing, turned out to be a very slow one. Cumbersome, broken, stony and zigzagging pistes severely reduced the average speeds of the stage. Navigation proved tricky on a deceptive route that took in several dry river crossings. The special stage ended 35 kilometres away from the new bivouac located in Bisha.
Ricky Brabec and Joan Barreda were well aware that today would be a tough day. After claiming the top two positions in yesterday’s Prologue, they faced the unenviable task of opening the track on this first ‘real’ day of the 2021 Dakar. Complicated navigation effectively put paid to any chances of finishing among the front-runners, as the pair conceded time to their rivals over the opening ten kilometres of the special.
Elsewhere, Benavides was taking full advantage of his strategic Prologue placing. The Argentinean Monster Energy Honda Team rider kept up a relentless pace throughout the stage, catching the riders ahead and finishing by opening the track as the race headed for the Bisha finish-line.
José Ignacio Cornejo conceded time after some minor navigational errors due to the complicated handling in the rocky areas where he was forced to proceed more cautiously. The Chilean, nevertheless, remains only 12 minutes adrift of Benavides.
Tomorrow, the second stage of this Dakar will take the riders from Bisha to Wadi Ad-Dawasir. The stage will feature higher mileage than today, with more than 450 kilometres against the clock out of a total of some 700 kilometres on the day. The riders will hit the first sand dunes early in the day before moving on to open track and eventually finishing with stretches of sandy track.