Carlos Sainz’s 2020 Dakar Rally victory at the wheel of a MINI X-Raid was a masterclass. The Spanish driver led from the front at the world’s toughest rally raid on unchartered and unforgiving desert terrain to claim a hat-trick of Dakar Rally wins.
The 42nd edition of the Dakar Rally took place in Saudi Arabia for the first time in the race’s history and Sainz attacked the new, almost 8,000km route in his customary attacking mode. He took the lead of the race on Stage 3 and held it until the Stage 12 finale to beat triple Dakar champion Nasser Al-Atiyah by over six minutes, with MINI X-Raid team-mate Stéphane Peterhansel in third.
Sainz has now won the event on three different continents, with three different manufacturers, and has a total of 41 Dakar stage wins to his name. It also is seems that he’s hungry to have at least one more crack at winning another Dakar Rally and ready to resume the epic three-way battle with Al-Attiyah and Peterhansel in 2021.
We caught up with Sainz as he dusted himself off following his Dakar success and found out how he did it, as well as his thoughts on compatriot Fernando Alonso’s debut Dakar performance and whether he’ll one day take over Sainz’s crown.
How was the first Dakar Rally rally in Saudi Arabia for you?
The first rally in Saudi Arabia was very successful, especially the first week, which had fantastic landscapes and perfect conditions to run rally raid stages. The second week was a little bit fast, but we must congratulate ASO and the Saudi Arabia government for putting together such a fantastic race in a short period of time – I really enjoyed it, I liked it and I think the potential is great.
What were the main challenges faced in Saudi Arabia compared with South America?
Carlos Sainz in action at Dakar Rally 2013
© MARCELO MARAGNI/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
The characteristics of the Dakar remains very similar, but I would say that Saudi Arabia reminds me more of Africa. We shouldn’t say that South America was easier, I think we had good and difficult races there, but Saudi Arabia has all the ingredients to have a perfect Dakar.
There’s one difference which makes a little bit easier, at least for me: the temperature. This year, the temperatures were much lower than in South America, so that was a little bit easier for myself, as normally I suffer quite a lot with the heat. The rest remains very similar however.
You’re a born competitor and have excelled in many sports, so what do you enjoy most about racing?
Of course, the Dakar is a great challenge. It’s a race you need to respect and prepare a lot for, especially if you’re a veteran like me. I love competition, I love wining and this is a great challenge, where you push your body and your brain to the limit. The fact that you’re competing for 12 days on stages longer than 500km makes it a special event for everybody.
© MARCELO MARAGNI/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
This year especially, we had a great competition with Stéphane Peterhansel and Nasser Al-Attiyah. We were very close together and we needed to push from the first to the last day, and that made the rally very exciting from the driving point of view.
Did this Dakar Rally suit your driving style?
I come from rallying and that gives you some advantages when you change to rally raid, but it’s completely different and you need to adapt to driving off road. You need to adapt to the dunes, especially in this area, where you’re driving a lot in the open desert.
Carlos Sainz stretched out his Car lead again on Stage 10
© MARCELO MARAGNI/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
Coming from rallying, we’re more familiar with the roads, the line and we’re looking for a tenth of a second, In rally raid, you need to adapt, as I said, for the open desert, try to ride the dunes, try to ride the dangers and then try to push as much as possible.
One of the difficult things I had to adapt to was to be more patient and to drive with my eyes, as we don’t have pace notes. You needed to drive blind, but this can give you great surprises and, in some occasions, you have big moments.
Source: Red Bull Content Pool