another milestone Carlos Sainz. And there are many. ‘the matador’ he did it again. Carlos (April 12, 1962, Madrid) was declared champion of the Dakar for the fourth time this Friday at the last finish line of the most difficult race in the world, in yanbu (Saudi Arabia). The Madrid driver thus made history again, again, for him 61 years, broke his own record as the oldest winner in history. He left that list at the age of 57 when he won the 2020 Dakar and has now raised it to 61 years, something that hardly anyone but himself can beat. Carlos what it will achieve if he decides to continue. He earned the right to choose, like a champion. Carlos He’s the king again, and this time, with a historic triple. On the one hand, the aforementioned age record, on the other hand, he became the only driver to win the most difficult test in the world with 4 different brands: he won with Volkswagen in 2010 in his room Dakarin 2018 with Peugeotin 2020 with MINI and the hardest, in 2024, with Audi, as the first winner in history with an electrified and hybrid car like Audi RS Q e-Tron.
Sainz put an end to a great career, marked by his endurance in one of the toughest Dakars in memory in years, the toughest of those held in Saudi Arabia. AND While other rivals punctured or suffered mechanical problems, ‘El Matador’ remained at the front, also thanks to the main help of his teammate Mattias Ekström on stage 10, who gave him two tires on stage 10 to continue at a high speed and keep up with Sébastien Loeb who would end up ‘crashing’ on stage 11 due to a suspension setback when he hit a rock.
Carlos and Lucas Cruz provided a class of speed, talent and head. A much needed combination in this complicated appointment. Especially in a magical stroke of strategy in the marathon phase, which began to take shape a few days before. There, Carlos made an important attack that he would eventually complete in an error-free race, protected by his two teammates, so that together they could fulfill the task assigned to them as a team at the headquarters in Neuburg (Germany).
After Loeb’s problems on stage 11 and after overcoming the rigors of a day full of rocks, Sainz, tougher than a rock, came out of the final stage of the Dakar 2024 this Friday with the only priority to reach the finish line without suffering setbacks. He had an advantage of 1 hour and 26 minutes on De Mevius and Loeb was 1 hour and a half behind. He just needs to take control, head calmly, calmly, cautiously and with a firm step towards the goal of Yanbu. He has only 175 kilometers to go after about 5,000 runs throughout the race in the previous two weeks. But he has no confidence in himself.
“There are still 170 kilometers to go and I know, especially in this rally, that we have to get to the finish line to claim victory. That’s what we will try to do. We will give the car a good check-up because the stage is very difficult . Yes Sébastien is more than an hour behind me, I won’t have to rush.”, he commented. If anyone knows what it’s like to lose the title a few meters from the finish line, it’s Carlos. People can’t help but remember it. But Carlos should be remembered for the positive. And he managed to highlight it by reaching the finish line as the champion for the fourth time of the most complicated event in the universe.
Sainz followed the plan planned on Friday and headed safely to the goal. He lost 1’41” in just 33 kilometers and finished the 175 km stage beaten by 5 minutes and 41 seconds compared to By Meviussecond overall (waiting for Loeb to reach the finish line).
The key to success: a dreamer who goes to the limit
Carlos Sainz has always been a dreamer. But more than just a tireless worker. There is a secret to everything. Apart from the amazing and enviable physique, Able to achieve his best results in stress tests last December at the age of 61, if anything, Carlos is a man who is committed 120% to what he wants to achieve. It’s not unusual for Carlos to call his engineers at 8 in the morning with new ideas for the car. 12 at night too. All day thinking about how to improve. A head that does not stop, that lives for races and to win, inside a hyperactive person in his daily struggle to improve. Get down to the smallest detail.
The clear example is that on one occasion, after practicing repeated tire changes with Lucas Cruz and the mechanics and engineers of Audi, when everything went well on several occasions and the Germans got that, Carlos said: “Again!”. The Teutons were amazed, but they listened to the ‘boss’. They repeated and it happened. A nut flew from the car. Something broke. “See! That doesn’t have to happen in a race”, he said before leaving. That methodical mentality and work culture, down to the most surprising detail, perfectly explains the secret that led Carlos to achieve something that just a few months ago seemed almost impossible. Unthinkable.
a pioneer
It has been more than clear for months, even in the absence of official confirmation, that Audi leaving Dakar after this third year. Many predicted that the firm with four rings would abandon its venture dakariana without the coveted scepter, lost in his battle with the toughest race in the world. But Sainz made the seemingly unthinkable possible. One more. It has already worked magic by hooking an entire country like Spain into rallying and turning it into a mass sport almost on par with the all-powerful soccer. He beat the great local specialists in 1,000 lakes after 40 years of Nordic dominance. He created the figure of the professional pilot with a culture of work and preparation never seen before, with kilometers and kilometers of tests he performed to become a total pilot, creating that figure among the specialists that existed then. time. He dominated all surfaces. He was a pioneer.
And now, 34 years after winning his first World Rally Championshipafter 17 editions of the Dakar, at 61 years old, when he has enjoyed a more than deserved retirement, without having to prove anything to anyone, ‘the matador’ He keeps trying to defy reason.
The most difficult project of your life
Carlos, one of the best rally and raid car developers of all time, was chosen by Audi and the head of structure of Q Motorsport, Sven Quandt, to lead the creation and evolution of a pioneering Audi. Audi has embarked on a three-year project to create the new RS Q e-Tron, with the aim of making history with the first electrified car to win the Dakar against its petrol-powered rivals. Sainz referred to the project as “science fiction.”
The challenge is enormous in a car with two electric motors, with a very large and heavy battery and a DTM combustion engine running at low speeds to ensure that the battery never runs out of energy. Besides, with a sophisticated system of the latest technology, an on-board computer with many modes and a virtual differential. Carlos wants to update himself. Far from staying in the past and the smell of gasoline, criticizing the steps taken by mobility, he wants to be part of the future and accept a unique challenge, “the most difficult” of his career, as he assured MD last time year. at the Dakar bivouac.
For many moments, it seemed impossible. The car arrived without a race run before its first Dakar and was overweight. It came out very fair. And the reliability of some parts failed. In its second course, Audi has perfected its engine by losing almost 100 kilograms, although there is another 100 more compared to its rivals. Furthermore, the FIA took away their power and this meant that Sainz had to take too many risks, something that led him to abandon due to an accident and injury.
A year later, it is known that this is the last year of this project, and the complexity of trying to beat the dominator of the last two editions, Nasser Al-Attiyah, or the always aspiring Sébastien Loeb, as well as those youth from Toyota , with the current champion car, Carlos Sainz continues to think it is possible. “Before starting the rally you see yourself there on the podium, that’s what you work for all year, thinking that you will win the race, if that’s not the case it’s very difficult to be motivated all year. without thinking that you have a chance of winning “It would be impossible,” he argued a few days ago. He always dreamed of achieving this. And he achieved it.
And now?
Carlos Sainz said that his future depends on the answers he will make when he arrives home, in Madrid, when he looks in the mirror, with a relaxed wrist and a cool mind. “Someday I’ll say it wasn’t worth it, that I couldn’t do it, that I didn’t find myself fast enough, that I wasn’t having fun. The day you ask me if it’s worth it and the answer is different from what it is now, that day I will stay at home and talk without disappointment,” he said before the Dakar 2024. But after this edition of the race , it is clear that any question asked will have the same answer. Did he have fun? yes. Is he in good shape? yes. Is he fast? the most. Did he pay her? More. On paper, it seems clear .And after Audi’s farewell, the Ford project could come, also for a long time with an old WRC acquaintance like Malcolm Wilson and M-Sport. Sainz, go on as long as you want.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
