Spanish driver Carlos Sainz wins his fourth Dakar Rally
At 61 years old, the racer made history by being the first desert rally champion with a hybrid vehicle.
Spanish driver Carlos Sainz has made history by winning his fourth Dakar Rally. The 61-year-old driver, along with his co-driver, Lucas Cruz, became the first driver win the Saudi desert rally with a hybrid vehicle.
With this victory, the Spaniard is the only driver to win the Dakar rally with four different manufacturers. On this occasion, he was behind the wheel of an Audi. Previously, he won with the Volkswagen, Peugeot and Mini teams.
The four-time Dakar Rally champion had Sebastien Loeb as his biggest rival for weeks. Known as "el Matador," Sainz equals the legendary Ari Vatanen with four victories in Dakar.
The Spanish champion, born in Madrid, is already enjoying the victory in the company of his son, Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr., who traveled to Saudi Arabia to accompany his father in the historic victory.
Honoring Carles Falcón, Spanish motorcyclist who died in the rally
In tragic news, the 46th edition of the Dakar Rally (formerly Paris-Dakar) saw the death of the Spanish motorcyclist Carles Falcón, who passed away at the age of 45 after a fall in the race more than a week ago. The information was confirmed by the race organizers. He was 45 years old. Sainz made a post on X (formerly Twitter) in memory of his deceased countryman.
American Ricky Brabec wins his second Dakar in motorcycles
American Ricky Brabec won his second Dakar Rally on Friday at the end of the 12th and last stage in Yanbu (Saudi Arabia).
The 32-year-old rider, riding a Honda motorcycle, beat Ross Branch (Hero) of Botswana by 10 minutes and 53 seconds and Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) by 12 minutes and 25 seconds, his first Dakar podium finish at the age of 33.