Abu Dhabi Racing boss and driver Sheikh Khalid bin Faisal Al Qassimi and co-driver Pascal Maimon opened their 9,000km Dakar Rally endurance behind the wheel of a Peugeot 2008 DKR on a positive note having completed the opening stage of 454km from Asuncion in Paraguay to the overnight halt in Resistencia in Argentina in top 20 out of 77 cars.
Having completed his pre-rally preparations first in the Liwa Desert in Abu Dhabi and then Dubai, Sheikh Khalid arrived in Paraguay and immediately got down to work with his crew ahead of the short 39km prologue from Asuncion in Paraguay, the ceremonial start was attended by thousands of rally fans.
Obviously enjoying his new experience in the world’s biggest cross-country rallies, Sheikh Khalid is now looking forward to the next 11 stages ahead of what is a two-week long testing time for both man and machine.
CARS 🚙 - Today's winner @AlAttiyahN had a little scare at the end. / El ganador de hoy estaba un poco asustado al final. 🔥 #Dakar2017 pic.twitter.com/oHwFjQouzS
— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 2, 2017
Today, the first stage of the #Dakar2017 went through stunning landscapes. / Hoy, el Dakar pasó por asombrosos paisajes. 🇵🇾 #DakarParaguay pic.twitter.com/7BatEfxHP8
— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 2, 2017