Older drivers in their 50s and 60s have a new hero. At 61 years of age, Carlos Sainz Sr has become the oldest racer ever to win the Dakar Rally. This was Sainz’s fourth victory at the former Paris-Dakar Rally having previously won with Volkswagen, Peugeot and Mini. But he was just a young guy in his 30s and 40s then. His win at 61 is unfathomable when one considers the grueling physical challenge of the two-week race through the Saudi Arabian desert.
“Of course he’s old, but he’s still at the top of his game,”
Sven Quandt, Audi’s Dakar team manager
El Matador did not take any stage victories, but was the model of speed and consistency. Partway through the rally, Sainz Sr was in second place behind Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi, but when disaster struck the local hero, Sainz Sr inherited the lead and never looked back, taking victory in his electric Audi RS Q e-tron by over an hour and twenty minutes.
This was the first victory and final race at Dakar for Audi, who are joining Formula 1 instead. There, the team will compete against Carlos Sainz Jr, the 29-year-old son of the Dakar champ. Carlos Sainz Jr is a 2-time grand prix winner, and currently pilots the No. 55 for Scuderia Ferrari, the most decorated team in Formula 1 history. But it’s got to be tough for young Carlos, not to be in his dad’s shadow. Sainz Sr. is a double World Rally Champion and quadruple Dakar Rally winner.
As a family race team ourselves, we can tell you unequivocally that Carlos Jr. it nothing but proud of Carlos Sr. What son-of-a-champ wants to see his pops, his idol growing up, withering away. No way!
Just look at those pictures above. That’s young Carlos with 7-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher. And the second one is Carlos as a boy meeting his hero, fellow Spanish F1 driver Fernando Alonso whom Sainz now competes against for Scuderia Ferrari. Sainz Jr’s driving skill alone wouldn’t have gotten him there; it was also his father’s motorsport connections, immense wealth and expert guidance.
Congratulations to Carlos Sainz Sr on the big victory at Dakar, and good luck to Carlos Sainz Jr. in the upcoming 2024 Formula 1 season. For certain his father will be rooting for him. So will we!
1 thought on “61-YEAR-OLD SAINZ WINS DAKAR: Must be Tough Being his Son!”