The SSV Rally Raid World Champion, Alexandre Pinto, began his Dakar Rally 2026 campaign today at the opening round of the W2RC (World Rally-Raid Championship), which will be held in Saudi Arabia until January 17. Co-driven by fellow World Champion Bernardo Oliveira, the Old Friends Rally Team entry completed the 23 km prologue in Yanbu at the wheel of the #400 Polaris RZR, in an SSV entry list featuring some of the best drivers in the discipline, setting the ninth-fastest time.
“It was a very fast prologue where we were perhaps a bit too conservative in the rocky sections. The prologue is just the beginning and, as always, what matters most is bringing the car back in one piece, but in a way this is also a good position to start the first stage,” said Alexandre Pinto at the end of the prologue, which was followed by the start ceremony.
The first stage, with the bivouac remaining in Yanbu, will feature a 305-kilometre timed special. It begins on rocky terrain, demanding precise driving through narrower passages and over a stony surface. After a stop point, the special moves into very fast sandy sections, dotted with small dunes.
Source: Old Friends Rally Team official press release
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