Quintero promoted to first on Dakar Rally opening stage

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Driver Joao Ferreira and co-driver Filipe Palmeiro in the left car compete during stage one of the Dakar Rally with start and finish in Bisha, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

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Driver Mathieu Serradori and co-driver Loic Minaudier compete during stage one of the Dakar Rally with start and finish in Bisha, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

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Rider Daniel Sanders competes during stage one of the Dakar Rally with start and finish in Bisha, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

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Rider Jordan Strachan falls as he competes during stage one of the Dakar Rally with start and finish in Bisha, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

BISHA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — American driver Seth Quintero was promoted to first place on the opening stage of the Dakar Rally after helping a crashed rival on Saturday.

Quintero’s Toyota actually crossed second behind the Mini of Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit after the 413-kilometer special in the desert around Bisha in Saudi Arabia’s south west.

But Quintero was credited with 95 seconds by rally organizers for stopping to help Spaniard Laia Sanz after she crashed about 90 kilometers from the finish.

He was handed his first stage win in Dakar’s top car class and a 55-second lead over Chicherit, who was also penalised 10 seconds.

Saood Variawa, the 19-year-old South African driving in his second Dakar, was third nearly two minutes behind.

Quintero made his Dakar debut at 18 in 2021, competing in T3 buggies. He was second overall in 2023, prompting his step up into Dakar’s top car class a year ago.

Sanz hit a rock in the dust and rolled her Century CR6. She was running 24th at the time and came home 60th.

Most of the title contenders held back near the finish line to avoid starting the 48-hour, nearly 1,000-kilometer chrono stage close to the front on Sunday.

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Five-time champion Nasser Al-Attiyah was 19th, two-time world championship runner-up Yazeed Al Rajhi was 20th, and nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb was 23rd, all more than 13 minutes back.

But defending champion Carlos Sainz bucked the trend by finishing eighth, about 3 1/2 minutes back.

In the motorbike race, Australian rider Daniel Sanders dominated.

For most of the stage, he was in a dogfight with American Ricky Brabec, Botswana’s Ross Branch and Spain’s Tosha Schareina. Often they were within a minute of each other.

But in the last 90 kilometers, Sanders pulled away to beat home Brabec and Branch by more than two minutes and Schareina by nearly five.

American Skyler Howe was credited with 10 minutes and promoted to fourth place after helping German rider Sebastian Bühler, who crashed early and hurt his shoulder badly enough to be airlifted to hospital.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing