This archive report was first published on 9 January 2020.
Published on January 9, 2020, by AFP.
Spanish veteran Carlos Sainz, the 2010 and 2018 champion, solidified his position at the top of the Dakar Rally leaderboard after securing a victory in stage five.
The 57-year-old Mini driver completed the 563km route from Al Ula to Hail in 3 hours, 52 minutes, and 1 second, finishing 2 minutes and 56 seconds ahead of his main rival, defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar in his Toyota.
"We gained three minutes and pushed really hard at the end," Sainz said.
Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel, nicknamed 'Mr Dakar' for his 13 victories in the marathon rally, secured a third-placed finish, 6 minutes and 11 seconds behind Sainz's pace.
"It was a completely different kind of stage today. For us it was not really perfect because we had two punctures," Peterhansel lamented.
Australian KTM rider Toby Price secured a second stage victory in the motorbike category, finishing 1 minute and 12 seconds ahead of Chile's Pablo Quintanilla.
However, the stage was marred by drama as Britain's Sam Sunderland, the 2017 winner and sixth overall at the start of the day, was forced to withdraw from the Dakar after a severe fall left him with back and left shoulder injuries.
