BMW's Nasser Al Attiyah of Qatar won the opening stage of the Dakar Rally on Saturday. And KTM's Marc Coma of Spain tops the standings in the bike category.
The 2009 Dakar Rally moved to South America for the first time ever. And competitors from 49 nationalities raced stage one from Argentine capital Buenos Aires to Santa Rosa de la Pampa. Al Attiyah, the winner of the UAE Desert Challenge race, went on to win the stage in the car category. The Qatari driver celebrated his second success on the Dakar Rally after the Nema-Nema loop in 2007.
Carlos Sainz was the most successful of the Volkswagen drivers. He finished second, trailing by only 2.17 minutes.
Marc Coma dominated in the bikes for KTM. The Spanish completed the stage over 22 minutes ahead of his nearest rival, Jacek Czachor. Title holder Cyril Despres had a disastrous day. The Frenchman chose the wrong tyres, and crossed the line with the rims bare on his rear wheel. He finished 41 minutes behind Coma.
David Casteualso experienced problems with his tyres. But the title challenger was hoping to make up over the next 13 stages.
Sunday's stage takes the competitors 237 kilometers from Santa Rosa de la Pampa to Puerto Madryn.
(CCTV January 5, 2009)
