Toyota driver Seth Quintero was promoted to the top spot in the Dakar Rally’s first stage on Saturday after he assisted a stranded competitor, Laia Sanz, following a stop with his vehicle.
The Mini’s X-raid team provisional leader Guerlain Chicherit slipped 50 points back after a late change in the front order.
However, a few hours after the entire team had arrived at the bivouac, Quintero was rewarded 95 minutes for the time he lost while helping Sanz and her co-driver Maurizio Perlini after they crashed during the stage.
The additional time pushes Quintero to the top of the list in the Ultimate category, 45 seconds clear of Chicherit’s Mini.
This was the American’s first victory in the top class of Dakar, marking their initial foray in this division following three previous participations in the Challenger class since 2024.
“We had some great news, it was exactly what we were hoping for,” said Quintero. “It was a really enjoyable day, we started 26th, there was a lot of dust, it was a lot of fun, it was truly great.
#223 Century Racing Factory Team – Laia Sanz, Maurizio Gerini
The photo is credited to Red Bull Content Pool.
We had around nine cars in front of us, but we successfully completed the first stage, claiming the win. However, we have thirteen more stages to complete, and we’re far from finished, yet feeling satisfied with our progress.
Vaclav Sanz’s Century CR6 rolled over 330km on Saturday’s first test, leaving her and Gerini stranded in the desert of Saudi Arabia.
Quintero later appeared on the scene and offered assistance to the duo, and this act was acknowledged by the organizers of the rally, ASO, and the FIA.
Explaining the accident, Sanz, a veteran of 15 Dakar appearances, said: “It’s a shame to start the Dakar like this. We lost the use of third gear at kilometre 20, but we were getting through the day well, going slowly.
After that, our navigation tools suddenly ceased functioning due to the relentless dust, so we decided to slow down and see out the remainder of the stage. About 70 kilometers short of the finish line, we ended up hitting an unseen rock while driving through the dense cloud of dust and our vehicle tipped over.
“Now we’re working on fixing it, but we have to wait for the service truck to arrive. I’m very disappointed, we were progressing well despite the setbacks we encountered today.”
It’s really frustrating to have such a setback after we were doing well and I thought this could be a good year. Now, we need to push hard to finish the season and see if we can recover for next season.
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