In the exhilarating prologue of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, the Polish duo of Krzysztof Hołowczyc and Łukasz Kurzeja exhibited their skills, clinching the sixth position. They surpassed notable figures like last year’s champion, Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar, and the experienced Spaniard Carlos Sainz. The prologue covered 157 km, including a 27 km special stage, with Swedish driver Mattias Ekstroem in an Audi emerging as the fastest. Seth Quintero in a Toyota secured the second spot with a 23-second gap, while nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb (Prodrive Hunter) claimed the third position, trailing by 38 seconds.
Driving a four-wheel-drive Mini, 61-year-old Hołowczyc, who secured the third place in Dakar 2015, trailed Ekstroem by 44 seconds. Al-Attiyah finished in the 12th position, lagging behind by 1:01, and Sainz fell far behind the leaders with a loss of over two minutes.
Polish motorcyclists faced a challenging start on Friday, with Maciej Giemza (3:16 behind) and Konrad Dąbrowski (3:20) landing in the third decade. Bartłomiej Tabin (7:17) also missed the top ranks. Spanish rider Tosha Schareina claimed victory, narrowly beating Australian Daniel Sanders by 12 seconds and Botswana’s Ross Branch by 19 seconds. Last year’s champion, Kevin Benavides of Argentina, finished ninth (56 seconds behind).
The Dakar Rally will unfold its challenges until January 19.