Riyadh, Jan 7 (IANS): Ross Branch of Botswana won the Dakar Rally 2024 Saudi Arabia opening bike stage, according to the competition's official website.

He won after being rewarded for stopping to help rider Tosha Schareina after the Spaniard's race-ending crash on Saturday, reports Xinhua.

The Hero factory rider got the 25 minutes he had spent helping Schareina deducted from his time, catapulting him into the lead by almost a dozen minutes from Ricky Brabec.

Chinese Kove team player Fang Xiangliang won the 51st position in the bike race.

In the quad competition, Taguatur racing team player Marcelo Medeiros won the first position, followed by Varga Motorsport's Juraj Varga.

The car stage was won by Guillaume de Mevius and Xavier Panseri of Overdrive.

Chinese 212 Hanwei Motorsport team players Han Wei and Ma Li won the 30th position in the car stage. The same team's players Sun Xiangyan and Tian Yu won the 129th position.

Also, Chinese Yunxiang China T1+ team players Sun Ping and Liao Min won the 92nd position in this category, while the same team's players Liu Feilong and Wang Yicheng won the 107th position.

The 5th edition of the Dakar Rally 2024 Saudi Arabia kicked off on Friday from AlUla.

Competitions will conclude in Yanbu on January 19 with the participation of elite drivers and riders worldwide.