Al-Rajhi wins Dakar Rally at 11th attempt and Sanders sews up motorbike domination
Yazeed Al-Rajhi became the first Saudi to win the Dakar Rally when he completed the race on home sand on Friday.
After 13 days of desert racing and more than 5,000 kilometers of specials, Al-Rajhi beat home Henk Lategan of South Africa by less than four minutes, the smallest margin in 15 years.
Daniel Sanders won the motorbike crown, the second Australian champion after two-time winner and mentor Toby Price.
Sanders won the first three stages and was never caught. He's the first rider to dominate from start to finish since Spain's Marc Coma in 2009 when the rally was in Argentina and Chile.
Lategan led the car standings for a week by capitalizing on consistency. He appeared to cement victory on Monday when he won the eighth stage. But a navigation error on Tuesday opened the door for Al-Rajhi as the race entered the Empty Quarter dunes.
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