The 48th Dakar Rally kicked off on Saturday in Yanbu with the traditional prologue, a short 22-kilometer timed special stage plus 73 kilometers of liaison, which served to set the starting order for the first full stage. The other Argentine duo, consisting of Manuel Andújar and Andrés Frini, closed the prologue in 13th place. There was also Argentine participation in the special categories. Gastón Mattarucco, a navigator in Dakar Classic, began his journey in 81st place, while Benjamín Pascual was among the top three in his division in Mission 1000. In the main motorcycle category, Luciano Benavides was the best Argentine representative. The Salta rider, part of the Red Bull KTM Factory team, finished fourth, 11 seconds behind the winner, Spanish rider Edgar Canet. This positioned Benavides well for the start of the long stages. Alongside Gonzalo Rinaldi, he finished fifth, within the Top 10. Further back, Leonardo Costa finished 52nd and Santiago Rostan 72nd. In the four-wheel categories, the main Argentine results came in the Challenger class. Nicolás Cavigliaso and Valentina Pertegarini, 2025 champions, began the Dakar with a solid fourth-place finish, confirming themselves as one of the duos to watch after the definitive elimination of quads. In the same division, Kevin Benavides, a two-time Dakar champion on motorcycles and now converted to UTVs, placed seventh.
