On Stage Five of the 2023 Dakar Rally, we got an extremely clear demonstration of both the perks and the pitfalls of being one of the first riders to tackle a given stage. Back in late 2022, when Dakar organizers were busy preparing for the start of the 2023 event, they announced rule changes that would award time bonuses to the first three riders to open a track on any given stage.
For those unfamiliar, riders who come after the first riders get the benefit of being able to follow in the lead riders’ tracks. When you’re navigating a rally, it’s pretty easy to see how that could be incredibly helpful in setting a better time for yourself—as well as potentially helping trailing riders to avoid problems. The latter is exactly what happened to Adrian Van Beveren, who eventually went on to win Stage Five once all the timing (including any bonuses and penalties) was figured out.
At the beginning of the stage, Toby Price established a solid lead for himself, followed in close succession by Stage Four winner Joan Barreda, Pablo Quintanilla, and Skyler Howes. However, things took a turn for the first four riders on the stage at the 190-kilometer mark—when those first four riders got lost, a mere 20 kilometers out from refueling.
Meanwhile, Adrian Van Beveren was behind them—and was able to both see that they went the wrong way, and also avoid doing the same thing himself. Once the initial first four riders had turned themselves around and were going in the correct direction, Van Beveren was now in the front of the pack—and scooped up a sweet 41-second time bonus for himself as a result. With Price, Barreda, Quintanilla, and Howes losing between 10 and 15 minutes on their unintended detour, it’s easy to see how time deficits and bonuses can play havoc with the rankings.
Van Beveren went on as lead rider after that refueling stop, thanks to his correct navigation. Another rider who avoided going the wrong way was Nacho Cornejo—who took the total stage lead at the 282-kilometer mark.
The theme of being 20 kilometers away from a save point when something bad happened was strong on Stage Five. Just 20 kilometers away from the finish line for the stage, Joan Barreda had a fall. He was in the same pack of five riders that he’d been in for most of the stage: Price, Quintanilla, Howes, and Van Beveren. Barreda was thankfully able to resume the stage, after some of the pack helped him out—and rendering that rider aid is something that also figures into timing and scoring on the part of the organizers.
Here are official results for the top 10 riders on stage five of the 2023 Dakar Rally:
| Rider | Team | Time |
| Adrien Van Beveren (FRA) | Monster Energy Honda Team | 4 hours, 27 minutes, 38 seconds |
| Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (CHL) | Monster Energy Honda Team | 4 hours, 27 minutes, 41 seconds |
| Toby Price (AUS) | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 4 hours, 31 minutes, 24 seconds |
| Mason Klein (USA) | BAS World KTM Racing Team | 4 hours, 32 minutes, 41 seconds |
| Skyler Howes (USA) | Husqvarna Factory Racing | 4 hours, 33 minutes, 1 second |
| Matthias Walkner (AUT) | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 4 hours, 34 minutes, 58 seconds |
| Pablo Quintanilla (CHL) | Monster Energy Honda Team | 4 hours, 35 minutes, 55 seconds |
| Kevin Benavides (ARG) | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 4 hours, 37 minutes, 45 seconds |
| Lorenzo Santolino (ESP) | Sherco Factory | 4 hours, 38 minutes, 44 seconds |
| Rui Gonçalves (PRT) | Sherco Factory | 4 hours, 39 minutes, 50 seconds |
General rankings after Stage Five have Skyler Howes in the number one spot, followed by Toby Price and Kevin Benavides in the top three. Mason Klein is currently sitting in fourth place overall, while stage five winner Adrien Van Beveren sits in fifth place in the overall rankings.
With a total of 14 stages on the 2023 Dakar Rally route, there’s still more than half the event left to run—and as we’ve already seen, anything can happen. There’s no telling how things will shake out in the next stage, let alone by the end of the rally—so we’ll be sure to keep you updated.
