Al Attiyah wins 2015 Dakar rally
January 17, 2015
With a healthy lead going into Saturday's 13th and final stage, which was shortened by 34 kilometers due to rain, the 2011 champion knew that all he had to do was avoid disaster to seal his second title. A fifth place finish behind American stage winner Robby Gordon, driving for Gordini, was more than good enough for Al Attiyah and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel.
"It was fantastic because we've dominated the race from the beginning and were able to control the rally throughout," he said after reaching the finish line in Buenos Aires.
Al Attiyah finished the two week event, which covered some 9,000 kilometers across Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, 35 minutes and 34 seconds ahead of second-placed South African Ginel de Villiers, who drives for Toyota. Al Attiyah's teammate Krzysztof Holowczyc of Poland finished third.
Al Attiyah's victory marked the fourth time Mini has won the Dakar Rally and underscores the team's dominance of the event.
38-year-old Spaniard Marc Coma claimed the title in the motorcycle competition. It was the fifth time that he has won the Dakar Rally.