Carlos Sainz celebrated his 20th career Dakar Rally stage victory on Wednesday and extended his overall lead as the event moved into Chile.
Sainz has now moved within two wins of Stephane Peterhansel’s record 22, though it was the Frenchman who looked more likely to add to his tally early on in the day’s running, which began at an altitude of 11,000ft in the Atacama Desert  … More
CALAMA, Chile — Robby Gordon will be leaving Chile and the Dakar Rally much earlier than expected. Trying to recover from mechanical issues after Stage 2, Gordon’s Hummer was hit with more problems during Wednesday’s Stage 4 and he was disqualified, according to speedenergy.com. Speed Energy was Gordon’s sponsor for the Dakar Rally.
Gordon began the day 1th but had right front wheel bearing issues before the start of the timed special, costing him about five hours. He completed the stage, but because he was late to the special, he was disqualified from the rally. Gordon was one of six cars to withdraw Wednesday  … More
Defending champions Carlos Sainz in the cars category and Cyril Despres on a bike return to defend their titles when the Dakar Rally starts on Saturday from the Argentine capital.
Officials say 430 vehicles across four categories—cars, bikes, quads and trucks—are expected to begin the race which will cover 9,500 kilometers across northern Argentina and along the spine of Chile. The race ends on Jan. 16 back in Buenos Aires. It the third straight year the race has been held in the two South American countries  … More