Audi drew first blood in the 2023 Dakar Rally as Mattias Ekstrom topped the timings in Saturday’s Prologue ahead of Sebastien Loeb. Reigning champion Nasser Al-Attiyah could only finish fourth for Toyota ⬇️
The 45th edition of Dakar kicked off on New Year’s Eve with a short 13km timed run on the shores of Red Sea in Saudi Arabia, with the entire section designed around the Sea Camp that also serves as the first bivouac of the rally.
As the action came to a close, it was two-time DTM champion Ekstrom who ended the day on top, completing the timed loop in exactly eight minutes in the vastly-improved Audi RS Q e-tron E2. Nine-time WRC champion Loeb was able to hold on to second position in his Prodrive-built Hunter, as he continues his quest for a maiden Dakar triumph having finished runner-up twice before in six attempts.
The Qatari driver and 2022 event winner was the first out of the blocks but ended up 12 seconds off Ekstrom's pace.
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