The rally kicked off with a notable triumph as Spanish rider Tosha Schareina, riding for the official Honda squad, secured the first victory of the season. In the prologue, a 17 minute 35 second effort left the Australian trailing by twelve seconds, placing Schareina at the top of the standings early on.
Schareina commanded the brief 27-kilometer special, with Botswana’s Ross Branch claiming third place. The defending champion, Argentina’s Kevin Benavides, finished in ninth, demonstrating a competitive field right from the start of Dakar 2024.
Joan Barreda, the Castellón native competing for Hero, crossed the line in sixteenth after entering the race mid-season. His day included a fall midway through the course, which cost him valuable time as he recovered and pressed on.
Born in Germany but raised in Valencia, Schareina joined Honda in the summer and quickly showed his potential in the team’s factory motorcycle. He followed up strong performances in the Sonora Rally and Baja España Aragón with a solid run in the Moroccan rally, suggesting he could be one of Spain’s premier bets in the motorcycle category for the event.
The opening scene confirmed expectations more than surprises, underscoring Hero’s solid pace, the team that fields Barreda. Teammate Ross Branch finished just nineteen seconds behind Schareina on Friday afternoon, setting a direct battle for the starting order on the next leg of the event. The choice of starting position will be crucial for the longer stages that lie ahead.
The first Dakar stage stretches from Al Ula to Al Henakiyah, covering about 405 kilometers on the track. This marks a key, long day in the rally with a field of 532 competitors. The top fifteen riders from the prologue earned the right to decide their starting order later on Friday at 19:15, a decision that could shape the pace for the rest of the week.
Among those contenders is Luciano Benavides of Argentina, who finished fifth, narrowly behind Schareina by 26 seconds and edging out the Australian rival in the tight margins. Toby Price and Kevin Benavides shared the spotlight of recent Dakar stages, with the latter finishing second and the former first in the last rally event, highlighting a tightly contested field that promises further dramatic moments ahead.
Kevin Benavides stayed within striking distance of Schareina, finishing on the 27-kilometer private stage just 56 seconds behind. Attention now turns to the longer 405-kilometer day ahead, as riders gauge their endurance and strategy. Kevin explained to EFE that his current condition remained a focus, given his fibula injury from December 3. While he remains hopeful about full recovery, the longer desert grind will test his form and resilience as the rally unfolds.
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