Seth Quintero secured victory in Stage 1 of the 47th Dakar Rally after receiving a 95-second time credit for assisting crashed competitor Laia Sanz. Though initially finishing second behind Guerlain Chicherit's X-Raid Mini, Quintero's sporting gesture earned him his first Ultimate class stage win.

The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver stopped at the 330km mark to help Sanz and co-driver Maurizio Gerini, who were unharmed but working on their Century CR6 without support. South African Saood Variawa, just 19 years old, claimed third place, finishing 1m45s behind his American Toyota teammate.

Most Dakar favorites strategically finished below 20th place, deliberately avoiding early starts in the upcoming 48-hour chrono stage. Defending champion Carlos Sainz placed eighth, while Nasser Al Attiyah (20th), Yazeed Al Rajhi (21st), and Sebastien Loeb (22nd) positioned themselves further back.

In the Bike class, Daniel "Chucky" Sanders dominated on his Red Bull KTM, finishing over two minutes ahead of American Ricky Brabec. The Rally GP riders will start tomorrow in reverse order of today's results, contrary to the FIA car regulations.

The Challenger class saw Nicolas Cavigliasso take the lead, narrowly beating Gonçalo Guerreiro by four seconds. In SSV, Xavier De Soultrait led Francisco "Chaleco" Lopez by 7m35s, with American Brock Heger in third.

The rally continues with a challenging 48-hour chrono stage covering 1,000km across two days. Competitors must stop at designated rest areas when the clock hits 5pm and complete the remaining distance on January 6.

Notable performances:

• Seth Quintero: First Ultimate class stage win
• Saood Variawa: Third place at age 19
• Daniel Sanders: Dominant bike class victory
• All vehicles sustained damage from vegetation
• Sara Price: 15th in SSV class

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