Overview
- He clocked 11:31.9 on the 22 km test to top the times on his Red Bull KTM.
- He finished three seconds ahead of teammate and reigning champion Daniel Sanders and five seconds ahead of Ricky Brabec.
- Luciano Benavides placed fourth at 11 seconds back, and Tosha Schareina was seventh at 23 seconds down.
- At 20 years and 293 days, he became the youngest rider to win a Dakar motorcycle stage and the 14th Spaniard to take a moto stage.
- He said he followed the roadbook “100%” to combine speed with safety, with Stage 1 set for a 305 km special over mixed hard and sandy terrain.