On Sunday, Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah won the Dakar Rally car category for the fifth time, and Argentine KTM rider Kevin Benavides won the two-wheeled category for the second time, both in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Attiyah, the current champion driving for Toyota with French co-driver Mathieu Baumel, completed the 14th and final stage in Dammam on the Gulf coast with a one hour and 20 minute lead over French nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb.
Peterhansel, known as “Mr Dakar” and who had to retire from this year’s edition after crashing his electric hybrid Audi, has also won the motorcycle category six times.
“It was really a tough Dakar for everybody but we managed to win again. It’s amazing to defend our title. I am happy to win five times, Mathieu four times now,” said Al-Attiyah.
“We need to keep going and to win more and more. We finished Dakar and we try to defend our world championship,” added the reigning FIA Rally-Raid (W2RC) world champion.
“We didn’t need to really push, to be crazy. We need to accept what we get. Just to finish and win the Dakar is very important to me.”
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Sebastien Loeb, who had won a record of six consecutive stages for the Bahrain Raid Xtreme team, was overtaken by his compatriot Guerlain Chicherit in the final stage of the rally, which was held in Dammam.