Dakar 2024: X-Rally team spent time among rocks and... bathrooms

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• Baumgart brothers finish the initial stage of the Dakar leaving "problem" for the leaders
• Cristian Baumgart and Beco Andreotti closed the first Dakar special with the 33rd time, while Marcos Baumgart and Kleber Cincea faced other issues to close the day in 46th among more than 100 cars

The first stage of the 2024 Dakar Rally was held this Saturday (6), living up to its name. The 414 timed kilometers between Al’ Ula and Al Henakiyah brought several challenges to pilots, navigators and machines. And the Brazilians from X Rally, who compete in the Dakar in the Prodrive structure, were able to complete today's stretch getting a taste of the challenges that the race holds.
After completing the prologue with fourth and fifth place, the Baumgart brothers were happy to have completed the day without any major problems, but faced some setbacks on the day that already started with a delay in the start due to an accident involving a spectator around 200 meters after the start of the timed section. The bystander was treated and taken to a nearby hospital; the organization did not detail his health status later.
Cristian Baumgart and Beco Andreotti adopted caution to face the cobbled and rocky sections of the special and despite having stopped just once to change tires, they finished with the 33rd time of the day, just over 37 minutes behind the duo's Toyota. by Belgian Guillaume de Mevius and French navigator Xavier Panseri, winners of the initial stage.

“Today was pure rock. All the time. In the first 230 kilometers we did very well, and then we faced a section that people talked a lot about in previous years, where a lot of people had flat tires. So we went at a more cautious pace and made way for other competitors who were coming at a stronger pace; Just ahead, we passed them while they were changing a flat tire and shortly afterwards they came again asking for passage. So, in this ‘elastic’ of tightening the pace and being conservative to clear the way, we ended up losing a lot of time. We only had one flat tire, which given the terrain conditions, was a profit, and there's still a lot to go. The Dakar is just beginning”, reported Cristian.

And it wasn't easy at all. Also driving the Prodrive Hunter, the current Dakar champion and runner-up faced several difficulties. Nasser Al Attiyah finished the race in 22nd place, while Sebastien Loeb finished two positions ahead of the Qatari.

Marcos Baumgart and Kleber Cincea, who finished 46th, also had a busy day – even with a stop to “go to the bathroom”. “A day to remind us that we are truly in the Dakar. It was very hard, with a lot of rocks. We lost a little time with a tire change, with two moments in which it took a little longer to find the waypoints and an emergency pit stop requested by Kleber, which I had to stop”, Baumgart listed.

“The Dakar has just started and there’s more tomorrow. Today we start in the front group, which most of the time becomes a problem – as it was today -, and tomorrow we start further back, leaving the problem for those who start further ahead”, explained Marcos, remembering the fact that that the cars that started behind in this Saturday's stage (6) finished ahead of those that were the first to leave.

This Sunday (7) the caravan travels for another 655 kilometers between Al Henakiyah and Al Duwadimi, with 463 timed kilometers to go.

The X Rally Team is sponsored by Vedacit, Motul, BF Goodrich, Rodobens, Center Norte, Rock and Opaoma.

Automatic translation of the Brazilian Portuguese version available on www.todoterreno.pt
Source: X-Rally Team's official press release

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