Enjoying a highly positive start to the 2018 Dakar Rally, the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team saw three of its riders finish inside the top seven in the provisional overall standings. Headlining the team's efforts in this short opening stage, Adrien Van Beveren was second with his teammates Xavier de Soultrait and Franco Caimi securing fifth and seventh respectively. Reaching the finish of the stage without any issues, Rodney Faggotter posted the 25^th fastest time.