Carlos Sainz & Cristina Gutiérrez, in the 2021 Dakar Rally - ASO / Red Bull Content Pool
Today was an historic day for Spaniards on four wheels at the Dakar rally. Two-time world champion Carlos Sainz and navigator Lucas Cruz won the first stage of the Dakar rally overall car event, dealing brilliantly with the tricky terrain between Jeddha and Bisha. Madrid-born Sainz, who set off 28th after a puncture in the prologue, fought for the lead right up to the final few metres. In a very complicated day for the navigators, Cruz's job as co-pilot was outstanding. The pair are looking to defend last year's title.
With just one control point to go, they were almost four minutes behind the leader and it looked like victory had slipped through their fingers, but Sainz dug deep and crossed the line 25 seconds ahead of Stepháne Peterhansel. Even Sainz's son, Carlos junior, the Ferrari driver, could hardly believe the 'Matador's latest victory.
Sainz and Cruz were not the only Spanish winners on day one. Four years after her debut, Burgos-born Cristina Gutiérrez won her first Dakar stage, coming in first in 'lightweight vehicles' (Side by Side). The Spaniard is also the first woman to win a stage in the world's toughest rally since the famous Jutta Kleinschmidt.
After parting company with Mitshubishi, she managed to secure a spot with Red Bull Off Road Junior Team to make her debut in the tricky SxS category. In her first ever stage she showed great skill, first beating Kris Meeke against the clock, and then against drivers with far greater experience in this type of race, like fellow Spaniard José Antonio Hinojo or Brazil's Reinaldo Varela. A huge burst of speed mid-stage allowed Gutiérrez, an odontologist by profession, to snatch the lead and from there, the stage victory.
This year's Dakar rally, the 43rd edition of the event, finishes on January 15th. It is the second time Saudi Arabia has hosted the event. The race starts and ends in Jeddah, with competitors venturing through the desert and alongside the Red Sea. The route consists of one prologue stage and 12 normal stages, with one rest day in Ha'il on January 9th.
The 2021 rally was originally intended to run through two or three additional countries, with Egypt and Jordan being suggested as likely candidates. However, due to travel and border restrictions implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the route stayed entirely within Saudi Arabian territory.
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