Spanish Carlos Sainz wins his third Dakar

And three for Carlos Sainz! On his Mini, the 57-year-old Spaniard won his third Dakar rally on Friday, January 17, the first to take place in Saudi Arabia, after his coronations in 2010 and 2018.

¡Grandioso Carlos Sáinz con su tercer rally #Dakar! No dejar de prepararse y entrenar en silencio, no dejar de tener ganas de competir, no dejar de disfrutar del triunfo, ejemplo de tesón y fuerza. @CSainz_oficial @dakar

Winner of four stages, Sainz ahead of the title holder, the Qatari Nasser al-Attiyah (Toyota), 6 min 21 sec and the Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel (Mini) by 9 min 58 sec after 12 stages and 7,800 km of race.

The Spanish veteran took control of the race from the third stage to never let go.

Tight to the end

Threatened by Al-Attiyah who had returned to 24 seconds three steps from the end, the Spanish veteran took advantage of his pursuer's navigation errors to recover the margin. He only had to manage his lead in the last two stages.

After Africa and South America, the Dakar, the largest rally-raid in the world, changed scenery this year by settling in Saudi Arabia, a choice which caused controversy because of the country's shortcomings on the question of human rights.

The race must remain in the region for at least the next four years.

With AFP

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