At 61 years old, an age at which the majority are already early retired or participating in Imserso trips, Carlos Sainz (Audi) continues to fight and expand his legend as an insatiable old rocker. The Madrid driver and his Catalan co-driver Lucas Cruz are already four-time champions of the Dakar, the toughest rally in the world. El Matador also sets a new record for seniority by being the oldest driver to win the legendary rally, just as he already did in 2020 with Mini.
With his fourth Tuareg (2020, 2018, 2020, 2024), all four with different cars, from European companies (Volkswagen, Peugeot, Mini and Audi), Sainz equals a rally myth like Ari Vatanen in the historical ranking of the Dakar (1987, 1989, 1990, 1991), and is just one win away from Nasser Al Attiyah (5), the current champion, who retired due to a breakdown of the Hunter. At the top of the list is Stéphane Peterhansel with 8 statuettes.
After finishing the last special, Carlos Sainz expressed himself excited and grateful to the team. “This win means that when you work hard and believe in yourself, when you have a good team and are surrounded by good professionals, then the work is always worth it,” he commented.
The last 175 km of the Dakar 2024 special, in a loop around Yanbu (Saudi Arabia), were no obstacle for Sainz to turn the last day into a quiet day. The more than hour and a half that he had on Sébastien Loeb (Hunter) was enough cushion to not get too worried.
The Matador does not understand relaxation and finished the stage in 19th position, 10m50s behind Loeb, the winner of the last day, who took revenge with at least his fifth stage victory, the pilot who has won the most stages.
In the general classification, Sainz finishes with a very large advantage of 1h20m over the Belgian, a surprising second place after Loeb’s disaster on the penultimate day (5 punctures and a broken triangle, which caused him to lose an hour and a half). The Frenchman, who continues to be denied the Dakar, finishes again on the podium, third. The nine-time WRC world rally champion has tried it in eight editions, with three second places, two third places, one retirement and a ninth.
The triumph of Carlos Sainz, the fastest and most consistent driver of the rally in the 12 stages, leader since the wild 6th round of the 48-hour marathon day, is also the victory for Audi. The German manufacturer said goodbye to the Dakar and his ambitious hybrid car project – with electric propulsion – with a victory in the third year of his experience.
Audi joins manufacturers that have triumphed in the toughest test in motorsport, such as Mini (the last European to do so, with Peterhansel in 2021, and with Sainz in 2020 and Nani Roma in 2014), Toyota (three years winner with Al Attiyah), or previously, Peugeot (with Sainz in 2018), Volkswagen (with the Spanish in 2010), Mitsubishi or Citroën.
