Travelling south from Bisha, the air gets thinner and thinner as the road approaches 1,300 metres. The drop in oxygen levels is barely noticeable, but the landscape is no longer the same. Near the middle of the special,

American driver Seth Quintero has been promoted to first place on the opening stage of the Dakar Rally after helping a crashed rival in Saudi Arabia.

Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit led the two-week Dakar Rally on Saturday as race favourites in the car category slowed to secure better conditions for Sunday's 48-hour Chrono stage in the Saudi Arabian desert.

American Seth Quintero won the first stage of the Dakar Rally on Saturday, while Qatar’s five-time winner Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah was in 20th position .Organisers had

French Mini driver Guerlain Chicherit won the first stage of the Dakar Rally on Saturday, the race favourites having eased up so as not to land an unfavourable position for the upcoming 48-hour chrono.

American Seth Quintero led the two-week Dakar Rally on Saturday as race favourites in the car category slowed to secure better conditions for Sunday's 48-hour Chrono stage in the Saudi Arabian desert.