Stephane Peterhansel wins Dakar for a record-extending 14th time

French veteran Stephane Peterhansel gained the Dakar Rally for a record-extending 14th time on Friday, and his eighth in the car or truck category, after a gruelling two months in the Saudi Arabian deserts.

The 55-year-previous X-Raid Mini JCW driver, nicknamed “Mr Dakar” for his unprecedented achievements, initial gained the endurance celebration on a bike in 1991 and switched to autos after 5 far more wins on two wheels.

“It’s even now the exact same emotion … there are no uncomplicated victories on the Dakar,” claimed Peterhansel after a triumph that also made him the initial driver to gain the rally on three continents.

Argentine Kevin Benavides, driving a Honda, turned the initial South American to gain the bike title after the twelfth and final stage that finished in Jeddah.

The annual rally started in 1978 as a race from Paris to the Senegalese capital, Dakar, but moved from Africa for protection factors in 2009. It is now held completely in Saudi Arabia after a stint in South The united states.

This year was the 43rd staging of the celebration.

Friday’s end was clouded by news of the dying of French newbie rider Pierre Cherpin who had been in an induced coma given that he crashed on the seventh stage.

The fifty two-year-previous newbie was the initial fatality of this year’s celebration. Two bike riders died on the Dakar final January.

Peterhansel, who had led given that the next stage but gained only one of the 12, completed fourteen minutes and 51 seconds ahead of Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah, a three instances Dakar winner, in a Toyota.

Spaniard Carlos Sainz, the defending winner and Peterhansel’s teammate, gained the final stage and completed third all round.

“The difference was probably that Nasser made the initial mistake on the prologue. He gained the prologue and I believe it was his initial mistake. He probably lost the Dakar due to the fact he preferred to gain the prologue,” claimed Peterhansel.

By winning the Jan. two prologue, Al-Attiyah had to go initial on stage one and open up the highway for those people guiding. He lost 12 minutes.

In the bike course, 2020 winner Ricky Brabec of the United States gained the final stage to end runner-up to team mate Benavides and complete Honda’s initial one-two Dakar end given that 1987.

Britain’s Sam Sunderland, the 2017 winner, completed third all round for KTM.

“On stage 5 I was nervous, due to the fact I crashed so quick and hit my head and my ankle and felt a whole lot of suffering. On that day I claimed maybe the Dakar is completed for me. But I ongoing pushing,” claimed Benavides.

“I even now have some suffering, but at the second I am far more content than in suffering.”

Manuel Andujar made it an Argentine double with victory in the quadbike course.

Russian Dmitry Sotnikov took his initial title in the truck category, gained by the Kamaz team for the fifth year in a row.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London Modifying by Robert Birsel, Alison Williams and Toby Davis)