The return of Bernhard ten Brinke in the Dakar Rally was impressive to say the least. The Dutchman stormed off to second behind teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah. Martin van den Brink matched this result in the truck category by finishing seconds behind the winner of the stage. Van den Brink showed real speed during the short stage and has a good starting position for the next stage.

Gert Huzink gained four spots on the first day of the Dakar. During the short stage Huzink impressed with a 13th spot. The same can be said of Steven Rotsaert who won three places on the first day of the rally. The Belgian driver is reckoned to be one of the veterans in the field. Janus van Kasteren got off to a solid start during his debut in the Dakar. Van Kasteren finished in 19th place with his Mammoet Rallysport-crew. Ed Wigman did damagecontrol on the first day by staying as close as possible to his teamleader Huzink.

Tim and Tom Coronel had a troubled start with their Jefferies Dakar Buggy. The twins finished almost last in the car category and lost more than two hours. The reason behind the loss is unknown.

Jurgen van den Goorbergh started on Saturday in his tenth Dakar. The Dutchman is racing the Malle Moto-class again and is aiming to repeat his win in 2016. The former 500cc-rider started of well with a 46th place overall.