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Nasser Al-Attiyah won his second consecutive Dakar Rally in dominant fashion on Sunday, moving up to second place in the event’s all-time list.
Al-Attiyah now has five wins in what is arguably considered the premier event in rally racing. Stéphane Peterhansel holds the all-time record with 14 Dakar victories, eight of them in the premier class of cars.
Sébastien Loeb was second, but was more than 80 minutes behind in the overall standings.
“To beat them you have to have a perfect race,” Loeb said per ESPN.
Knowing he was well ahead of the field, Al-Attiyah settled for a calm race and finished the final stage in eighth place. Al-Attiyah led 13 of the 15 stages and never left much doubt about the final result.
“We didn’t have to attack like crazy,” said Al-Attiyah. “We managed to get through the second week and win, that’s what really counts.”
