January 4, 2016 – The first full stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally has been cancelled for all categories due to heavy rain, while the second stage has been shortened for the same reasons.
Dakar organizers were expecting poor weather on Sunday, but the storms that hit the area of the stage were heavier than expected.
The opening full-length stage of the Dakar was due to take place on Sunday, taking competitors from Rosario to Villa Carlos Paz with a 227km timed section for bikes and quads, and 258km for cars and trucks, while Monday’s 510-km stage, which takes competitors from Villa Carlos Paz to Termas Rio Hondo, was truncated by more than half.
Leading positions after Prologue stage:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bernhard Ten Brinke | Overdrive Toyota | Toyota | 6m08.s |
| 2 | Carlos Sainz | Team Peugeot Total | Peugeot | 3.s |
| 3 | Xavier Pons | DMAS South Racing | Ford | 4.s |
| 4 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Axion X-Raid Team | Mini/BMW | 5.s |
| 5 | Marek Dabrowski | Orlen Team | Toyota | 5.s |
| 6 | Nani Roma | Axion X-Raid Team | Mini/BMW | 7.s |
| 7 | Mikko Hirvonen | Axion X-Raid Team | Mini/BMW | 7.s |
| 8 | Giniel de Villiers | Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa | Toyota | 9.s |
| 9 | Stephane Peterhansel | Team Peugeot Total | Peugeot | 9.s |
| 10 | Sebastien Loeb | Team Peugeot Total | Peugeot | 9.s |
| 11 | Cyril Despres | Team Peugeot Total | Peugeot | 9.s |
| 12 | Orlando Terranova | Monster Energy Rally Raid Team | Mini/BMW | 11.s |
| 13 | Vladimir Vasilyev | G-Energy Team | Toyota | 13.s |
| 14 | Martin Prokop | Overdrive Toyota | Toyota | 13.s |
| 15 | Emiliano Spataro | Renault Duster Team | Renault | 17.s |
