Quintero’s Toyota team initially completed the 413-kilometer stage behind the Mini driven by French competitor Guerlain Chicherit, finishing in second place.
However, he was awarded 95 additional seconds by rally officials for stopping to help Spanish driver Laia Sanz, who had overturned her vehicle about 90 kilometers before reaching the finish line.
This action resulted in Quintero being awarded his first stage victory in the premier car category of the Dakar Rally, alongside a 55-second advantage over Chicherit, who incurred a 10-second penalty as well.
With this strong performance, 19-year-old South African driver Saood Variawa secured third place, falling just under two minutes behind the leader.
Quintero made his inaugural appearance at the Dakar Rally in 2021 at the age of 18, competing in the T3 buggy category.
After finishing second overall in the previous year’s event, he transitioned to the top car class just one year later.
Sanz’s unfortunate incident occurred when she struck a rock while navigating through dust, causing her Century CR6 to roll.
At the time of her crash, she was positioned 24th, ultimately finishing in 60th place.
Many other title contenders opted to hang back near the finish line, aiming to avoid starting the upcoming 48-hour, nearly 1,000-kilometer timed stage from a forward position.
Five-time champion Nasser Al-Attiyah placed 19th, while two-time world championship runner-up Yazeed Al Rajhi was 20th, and nine-time champion Sebastien Loeb finished in 23rd, all trailing by significant margins of over 13 minutes.
Contrasting this strategy, defending champion Carlos Sainz achieved an eighth-place finish, clocking in roughly 3 and a half minutes behind Quintero.
In the motorcycle segment of the rally, Australian rider Daniel Sanders displayed a commanding performance.
For a large portion of the stage, he was engaged in a close competition with American racer Ricky Brabec, Botswana’s Ross Branch, and Spain’s Tosha Schareina; they often remained within a minute of each other.
However, in the final 90 kilometers, Sanders pulled ahead, ultimately crossing the finish line over two minutes ahead of Brabec and Branch, and nearly five minutes ahead of Schareina.
Meanwhile, American rider Skyler Howe received a 10-minute credit and moved into fourth place after providing assistance to German competitor Sebastian Bühler, who suffered a serious shoulder injury in an earlier crash and required air evacuation to the hospital.
