Eryk Goczal, in Challenger, and Xavier de Soultrait, in SSV, were the winners of the Dakar 2024 prologue. The race started this Friday in Saudi Arabia.
In the Challenger (T3) category, Eryk Goczal (Energylandia Rally Team/Taurus) took 17m34s to complete the 27km timed stage in Al ‘Ula, beating his teammate Michal Goczal by 20 seconds. Kris Meeke (GRallyTeam) was third, 21 seconds behind, and the top five was completed by the official Taurus drivers Nicolas Cavigliasso and Mitchell Guthrie. The Portuguese duo João Monteiro/Nuno Morais, from South Racing Can-Am, had a great start, finishing in tenth place, 1m05s behind Eryk Goczal.
As for the SSV category, formerly known as T4, Soultrait was the winner. The driver from Sébastien Loeb Racing Bardahl Team, aboard a Polaris, prevailed over João Ferreira (Can-Am Factory Team) by just 15 seconds. Florent Vayssade, also from Sébastien Loeb Racing Bardahl Team, was third, 22 seconds behind. A total of eight drivers finished in the same second as the winner, with Yasir Seaidan (MMP/BRP) closing this group.
Top ten of the prologue in Challenger:
Top ten of the prologue in SSV:
