'El Matador' Carlos Sainz makes Dakar Rally history, wins a fourth title

Team Audi Sport`s Spanish driver Carlos Sainz closes his door after the finish line of the stage 11 of the 2024 Dakar Rally (Pic: AFP)

Veteran Spanish driver Carlos Sainz won the gruelling Dakar Rally 2024 for a fourth time on Friday, becoming at 61 the oldest winner of the race.

The two-time world rally champion known as 'El Matador' had been all but guaranteed success when closest rival Sebastien Loeb was stranded in the desert for over an hour in Thursday's penultimate stage.

Sainz, the father of Ferrari Formula One driver Carlos Sainz Jr, had led since the sixth stage. Aided by his fellow Audi drivers Sweden's Mattias Ekstrom and France's 'Mr Dakar' 14-time champion Stephane Peterhansel , the 58-year-old driving in his final edition, controlled the race from then on.

Sainz delivers German outfit Audi their first Dakar title. Earlier, American Ricky Brabec had taken the honours in the motorbike category for a second time. The 32-year-old Honda rider held an advantage of 10 minutes 53 seconds, as the 12th stage brought the curtain down, over Botswana's Ross Branch on a Hero.

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Frenchman Adrien van Beveren, 33, claimed his first podium finish in the rally to fill third spot. Brabec had made history in 2020 when he became the first American to win the crown, but he was just as excited about doubling his tally.

"I had chills down my spine as I crossed the finishing line," he said. "I still do not have words for how I feel, save it was a smooth ride, the team was unreal. "I do not know how we put together such a perfect Dakar Rally 2024, I never fell once."

With three Dakar Rally wins already under his belt, Carlos Sainz had nothing to prove in this year's event, especially as he also had two World Rally championship titles to his name. But the 61-year-old struck a stunning blow for the more senior sportsmen and women around by claiming his fourth Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia on Friday to become the oldest winner of the gruelling race.

(With agency inputs)