Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Timo Gottschalk took home the winners’ trophies after completing the 2011 Dakar Rally some 49 minutes ahead of Volkswagen teammates Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz, and around an hour ahead of the third VW Race Touareg of Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz. This is the third year in succession that the Volkswagen team have occupied all three steps on the podium of the world's toughest rally.
Former WRC champion Sainz had been in control for the first half of the gruelling event – winning five stages – but his lead was drastically cut in the soft dunes during the second week. Terrain in which Qatari Al-Attiyah thrives. Sainz and compatriot Lucas Cruz fought gallantly to keep pace with Al-Attiyah’s Race Touareg only to break their front left suspension toward the end of the event, losing an hour for repairs. South African Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz kept the leading two Touaregs within reach thanks to consistent finishes and when Sainz slipped, they slotted into second overall.
"We did it. I am so happy. I was just thinking about the finish line. It means a lot to win a Dakar, for me, for my people, for my country and for my team. It is a great victory. It's hard to explain everything that goes through your head. But it is a very nice feeling. We demonstrated that we have the strongest team in the world. It is the third time the team has won a Dakar. It is also the biggest moment in my career,” said Al-Attiyah.
Former winner de Villiers added, “As you would expect from the Dakar, this has been a really tough rally, long and tiring. My co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz and I are very happy to have finished second after our disappointing result last year when we were seventh after losing over two hours with electrical problems on the third stage. Our strategy throughout the 13 days of racing was to push as hard as we could without taking any unnecessary risks. The Dakar demands great respect and we are proud to have made it on to the podium for the third time in five years. This is a great result for Volkswagen, who once again have proved they are the best team. Congratulations to Nasser on a brilliant race,”
With the finish line beckoning and Al-Attiyah opting for conservative approach, Sainz pushed hard to make up as much lost time as possible. He won the final two stages but it was still only good enough for third place overall.
Fourth was the BMW X3 X-raid of Stephane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret, which was the only other vehicle to disrupt the dominance of the Touaregs – taking a single victory on stage 5. Krzysztof Holowczyc and Jean-Marc Fortin’s X3 was fifth overall, 41 minutes ahead of the final VW duo, American Mark Miller and South African Ralph Pitchford.
"The Dakar is not regarded as the world’s toughest off-road race for nothing and simply finishing it is an achievement. We’re very proud to have been part of the best team in the race, for the third year in succession, and although we lost any chance of a good result after our roll on stage two we enjoyed our Dakar and were pleased to be able to help Carlos when he crashed his car,” Pitchford said.
