Drama in the dunes: Dakar 2024

As the UK braced itself for a January freeze to kickstart 2024, the eyes of the motor sport world shifted instead to the sands of the Saudi Arabian desert, as rally royalty and automotive giants descended upon the Middle East kingdom to begin battle against the forces of nature in the Dakar Rally.

This year’s edition of the rally began from the city of AIUIa to the finish in Yanbu situated on the coast of the Red Sea. The nearly 5000-mile route saw drivers contest with towering sand dunes and perilously rocky terrain. Over 1000 entrants across eight categories, ranging from bikes and quads to nine-tonne trucks, took to the start line, preparing themselves for 15 days of gruelling racing and near-insurmountable challenges. Who would survive to become the masters of the Arabian Desert?

The headline battle heading into the rally was between Audi and Prodrive in the new Ultimate car class. Carlos Sainz Sr spearheaded Audi’s attempt for glory in the upgraded Audi RS Q e-tron. ‘El Matador’ had won the Dakar Rally three times already, with his experience gained during his 18 Dakar appearances serving him well during the greatest tests the rally can offer. This year could be Sainz’s Dakar finale, as Audi’s future in the rally stands uncertain and the 61-year-old would have wanted to cap his illustrious Dakar career with nothing less than a win.

Challenging the might of Audi and Sainz was the Prodrive pairing of two of the greatest drivers in rally history – nine-time WRC champion Sébastien Loeb and five-time Dakar (and reigning) champ Nasser Al-Attiyah. The duo headlined a seven-car all-out attack on Dakar by the British manufacturer, which was hoping its powerhouse line-up would be enough to halt the electric-motored Audi and perhaps more importantly that Loeb would avoid the dreadful Dakar luck he has suffered in recent years.

“Punctures disrupted Sainz and Al-Attiyah in the early stages”

Originally founded as the Paris-Dakar Rally by maverick racer Thierry Sabine, the inaugural rally took place in 1979 and saw 182 vehicles take to the start in Paris for a 6000-mile dash to the Senegalese capital Dakar. Only 74 of the original runners made it to the end, cementing the brutal and unforgiving nature of the event that would earn its notoriety, further helped by the escapades of a certain Mark Thatcher in the rally’s early years. Security concerns meant the rally moved briefly to South America and then in 2020 to Saudi Arabia where it has now found a long-term home.

This year’s event took little time to throw up its usual challenges, with punctures disrupting both Sainz and Al-Attiyah in the early stages. The problems would continue for the Qatari driver and during stage six of the rally, his Prodrive Hunter would grind to a halt after a hard landing broke the steering bearing, which meant a three-hour repair job and the effective end of Al-Attiyah’s bid for victory. On stage eight, his engine blew which was followed by a rear suspension failure on stage nine leading to Al-Attiyah withdrawing and declaring he didn’t want to drive his Hunter again.

“It shows that when you work hard, normally it pays off”

Meanwhile, for team-mate Loeb, fortunes started off kinder as the Frenchman took four stage wins to keep in touch with the leading Carlos Sainz, but with just three stages to go, Sainz’s lead still stood at over 20min. Characteristically, Loeb refused to give in and kept pushing flat out; but luck would soon run out for the front-running Prodrive racer when Loeb collided with a rock which destroyed his front-right A-arm causing a lengthy stoppage that ended his – and Prodrive’s – chance at victory.

And so, Sainz Sr nursed his Audi home to overall victory by a whopping 1hr 20min 25sec over the second place Overdrive Toyota of Guillame de Mevius, while Sébastien Loeb persevered to secure a podium finish in third. Despite not winning a single stage, Sainz Sr proved that consistency trumps all as he led the overall timings from start to finish. The decorated Spaniard broke his own record for the oldest driver to win, securing his fourth Dakar victory at a spritely 61.

“To be here at my age and to stay at that level, you need to work a lot beforehand,” Sainz said at the finish. “It doesn’t just come like that. It shows that when you work hard, normally it pays off.”

However, Audi’s inaugural victory may have been its last, with all signs pointing to the German manufacturer pulling the plug on its Dakar programme after this year’s rally so it can focus on its arrival on the F1 grid in 2026. We can only hope that Audi’s departure does not also signal the end of Sainz’s Dakar career.

Events in the bike category were overshadowed by the tragic death of Spanish rider Carles Falcón. The 45-year-old had been competing on a Rally2-Spec KTM when he suffered a terrible crash during stage two, succumbing to his injuries a week later.

Ricky Brabec led the way in the bikes for the Monster Energy Honda Team, helping to secure an impressive Honda 1-2-3 at the end of stage 10 on the way to overall victory, with the American rider claiming his second Dakar victory.

Manuel Andújar, 2021 quad winner, secured his second class victory with the Argentinian denying Alexandre Giroud a third consecutive title while Martin Macik and his MM Technology Team achieved top spot in the truck category to bring an end to another historic rendition of this most gruelling of rallies.