Rally Raid
How Carlos Sainz can win his third Dakar in 2020
With excitement for the 2020 Dakar building, it’s time to take a look at the competitors. Veteran Carlos Sainz is one of the favourites.
F1 may be the sport that springs to mind when you hear the name Carlos Sainz, but that's actually Sainz Jr, and he has incredibly large racing boots to fill. Carlos Sainz Snr, fondly known as ‘El Matador’, has been setting the motorsports world alight for decades. Sainz the elder won multiple World Rally Championship events throughout the '90s, before moving on to the Dakar Rally in more recent years.
Known for his meticulous attention to preparation, with a keen eye for detail and a knowledge of engineering, Sainz is also ruthless behind the wheel. A hard-charger who embodies the spirit of all-time motorsport greats like Ayrton Senna and Colin McRea, Sainz will never play the percentages, often winning or crashing in spectacular style.
Proving that age is just a number (Sainz is 57) and that talent is permanent, Sainz has won the Dakar on two occasions, in 2010 and 2018, making him one of the favourites heading into 2020’s event.
Category:
Sainz will be competing in his X-Raid Mini JCW, a diesel buggy that’s as far removed from your traditional school-run Mini as it’s possible to get.
Co-driver:
El Matador will be relying on fellow Spaniard, Lucas Cruz, for navigational chops. He’ll be in impeccable hands, as Cruz has strapped in alongside Sainz at the Dakar six times since 2009, including during both first placed finishes.
Race record:
Sainz is a formidable competitor. Winner of the World Rally Championship in 1990 and 1992 for Toyota, Sainz also finished runner-up four times, helping Citroën, Subaru and Toyota to Constructors Championships along the way. The veteran has also won the Race of Champions, the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship and the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland. Add multiple Dakar stage wins to his CV and it’s easy to see why Sainz may be a leading contender heading into 2020’s Dakar.
Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz in the X-Raid Mini JCW
© Kin Marcin/Red Bull Content Pool
Biggest rival:
Nasser Al-Attiyah is the winner of last year’s event, and Sainz’s closest competitor heading into 2020. Once again he's racing with Toyota and with a Dakar history stretching right back to 2004, it’s a brave man who bets against Al-Attiyah.
In his words:
“Honestly, I haven’t changed the way I prepare after winning in 2018,” Sainz told Dakar.com. “Once you have won, all you want to do is come back and win again. You're still aware of what kind of race it will be and you try to adapt to the car and its characteristics. The Dakar is a global challenge. Physically and mentally, it taxes all your strength and that of your team so that the victory brings maximum satisfaction. I think man likes to push his limits with incredible challenges and the Dakar is one of them.”
Chances of success:
There’s no questioning Sainz’s ability, experience and motivation and it’s easy to imagine him standing on the top spot of the podium in January. Sainz and Cruz make a dream driver/co-driver pairing and it’s the second year running that the duo will be driving a Mini. While last year’s event went to Al-Attiyah and Matthieu Baumel, we think the lessons learned during last year’s race may make all the difference, with the Spaniards narrowly coming out on top.
