Dimitris Kouimtsidis
CARLOS Sainz and Lucas Cruz have won the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.
Following victories in 2010 and 2018, the pair have now won the competition for the third time.
Each of these victories have come with a different car – Volskwagen, Peugeot and now Mini.
Sainz who is the father of Carlos Sainz Jr – Spain’s only current Formula One driver – is a legend of the motorsports world, setting the world alight for decades.
‘El Matador’ – Sainz’s nickname – had won multiple World Rally Championship events throughout the ‘90s, before moving onto the Dakar Rally.
This year has been the first time the January 5-17 contest was held in Asia, with Saudi Arabia being the host nation.
The Saudis have also managed to secure the rights to host the event for the next five years.
The 57-year-old completed the 12 stages with a time of 42:59:17 over six minutes ahead of Nasser Al-Attiyah.
The Qatari was the heavy favourite to be crowned champion, but his time of 43:05:38 has caused him to finish as the runner-up.
Spanish Formula One legend, Fernando Alonso on the other has finished in thirteenth place, but he will be very happy with managing to complete the entire race in his first attempt.
His time of 47:42:04 meant he was more than four hours behind his fellow countryman.
