Al-Attiyah wins the 2011 Dakar

Nasser Al-Attiyah had promised it in January 2010: "Next year, I will win", he declared at the finish of the 32nd Dakar, which he had finished second, less than three minutes behind Carlos Sainz in the general classification. This year, the duel between the two men once again punctuated the South American fortnight.

First of all, it was Carlos Sainz who stood out in the first week, winning the majority of the special stages and maintaining the lead in the general classification from day to day. Then, the day after the rest day, Nasser Al-Attiyah came back with more aggression, managing to close his gap on the Spaniard.

During the 8th stage, the Qatari was able to take six minutes from Carlos Sainz, who was stuck in the dunes twice, and take the lead in the general classification. Although he was able to regain some time during the 9th stage on Tuesday, the Spaniard lost more time the next day following a navigation error and another stop in the dunes.

During the 11th stage on Thursday, Carlos Sainz definitively drew a line on victory in the 2011 Dakar, losing more than an hour due to a broken suspension. As if to save his honor, Sainz then took stage victories on Friday and Saturday, in order to bring his total success on this Dakar to seven, in thirteen stages.

For Volkswagen, it's a huge success: the German brand wins the event again, quite logically, and also wins a hat-trick. Indeed, Nasser Al-Attiyah (4 stage victories) is ultimately ahead of Giniel de Villiers (1) and Carlos Sainz (7). During the fortnight, VW won twelve special stages out of thirteen possible.

More consistent than his teammates, Nasser Al-Attiayh was able to do well. Free from mechanical, driving and navigation problems, the Qatari had an ideal fortnight, allowing him to win his first Dakar.