Carlos Sainz chasing fifth Dakar Rally title, this time with a new manufacturer
Carlos Sainz is hoping to set a record as the Dakar Rally’s oldest champion while also becoming the first racer to win with five different car manufacturers in the two-week marathon, which begins this weekend in Saudi Arabia. Carlos Sainz Sr. made his Dakar debut in 2006, two years after Nasser Al Attiyah. He was the first of the two to be named to the roll of honour in 2010, but the Qatari champion eventually surpassed him and now has five trophies on his shelf. After winning his fourth race in a hybrid Audi last year, ‘El Matador’ is catching up and hopes to level the race with the Ford Raptor that he will drive for the M-Sport team. The Dakar Rally originated in 1978 as a race from Paris across the Sahara to Senegal’s capital, but was moved to South America in 2009 due to security concerns. It relocated to Saudi Arabia in 2020 and has since been the FIA World Rally Raid Championship’s flagship. His 18-year-long adversary Nasser Al Attiyah is in a …
