Quotes
Stage 12 | Ssv
Bisha > Jeddah
401| AUSTIN JONES
Austin Jones: "This is what we've trained for for three years"
After several bouts of bad luck, fortune was again a factor as Austin Jones started the stage this morning. He finally managed to exorcise the demons of the past and win his first Dakar.
"I told you that would happen, that it was going to come down to the very end, and that's exactly what it did. We had a pretty clean day today, I drove as hard as I could, we got a couple of mistakes here and there, but overall, obviously we got it done and we made it. This is crazy. Shout out to my navigator Gustavo Gugelmin, who for 13 days straight...
Stage 12 | Truck
Bisha > Jeddah
500| DMITRY SOTNIKOV
Sotnikov takes his second Dakar with another three Kamaz drivers in tow
Sotnikov takes his second Dakar with another three Kamaz drivers in tow
"It's amazing to be here and win for the second time. We worked hard on our new truck this year. I'm proud that we're still at the front in the Dakar and now we will prepare for next year. I'm really tired after these two weeks. I need to take a break for it to really sink in. Eduard was not too far. He's a good driver, but he also gave me some tips and I would've done the same for him. I think this race made us even faster. We'll be even stronger next year."
Stage 12 | Car
Bisha > Jeddah
211| SEBASTIEN LOEB
Sébastien Loeb: "We still managed to put up a fight"
The French driver spent almost the entire rally playing catch up to Nasser Al-Attiyah, but he finished his sixth Dakar in second place, matching his result from 2017, when he bent the knee to Stéphane Peterhansel.
"I think we had a great rally. We ran into trouble at the beginning and, seeing the differences there were in the stages of the rally, we were unable to close the gap. We never stopped attacking, so we have no regrets. It's part of the game, this is a motorsport and we have to deal with it. The Dakar is nothing if not long, so...
Stage 12 | Quad
Bisha > Jeddah
174| ALEXANDRE GIROUD
Alexandre Giroud: "I'm lost for words"
25 years after his father Daniel became the first quad rider to finish the Dakar, Alexandre Giroud has won the category, which makes him the first French victor since its official inception in 2009.
"It's fantastic. It hasn't sunk in yet, I'm lost for words. Inside the final 100 k, I kept thinking to myself, 'just 50 k to go, 40, 30…'. I've never gone so slowly before. I was so out of it that I actually got lost. It's been 25 years since my father began to make us dream. We shared everything with him, but unfortunately...
Stage 12 | Light prototype
Bisha > Jeddah
305| FRANCISCO LOPEZ CONTARDO
Francisco "Chaleco" López: "A completely different scenario"
Following last year's victory in the T4 race, the former biker from Chile has emerged victorious in the T3 category, but this time he has taken no stage wins in the process.
"It was a long race. These two weeks went pretty smoothly. It was a completely different scenario compared to last year, when I had to go flat out every day without fail. After stage 2, we held a considerable lead, so we just needed to focus on making it to the finish day after day. I'm really happy that our strategy worked out. It was a test of endurance, we had...
Stage 12 | Car
Bisha > Jeddah
Yazeed Al-Rajhi: "What really matters is that the whole field got to enjoy the race in Saudi Arabia"
The Saudi experienced on home turf the joy of finishing on the podium of the Dakar for the first time.
"I'm really happy and would like to thank everyone who supports me, my team, the mechanics and Jean-Marc Fortin, as well as the organisers, who really know their stuff. I'm on the podium, but what really matters is that the whole field got to enjoy the race in Saudi Arabia. I'm also pleased for all the spectators who watched us and, of course, happy with our first podium spot. God willing, we won't budge from there!"
Stage 12 | Car
Bisha > Jeddah
201| NASSER AL-ATTIYAH
Nasser Al-Attiyah: "Three solid teams capable of winning"
Nasser Al-Attiyah went back to his winning ways after two editions in second place. It is his first triumph in Saudi Arabia. He hailed the performances of Audi and BRX in a display of fair play.
"It was an incredible Dakar for us. We hadn't won since 2019. We're pleased with the new T1+ regulations. There were three solid teams capable of winning. Matthieu and I, the team, we all did a good job to win. We had finished second every time since we came to Saudi Arabia two years ago, now we're really happy to achieve our goal. Toyota Gazoo Racing...
Stage 12 | Bike
Bisha > Jeddah
52| MATTHIAS WALKNER
Matthias Walkner: "This podium spot feels almost like a victory"
The Austrian winner of the 2018 edition finished on the podium of the Dakar for the fourth time in his career, this time in third place.
"If you'd said to me before the rally I could finish in the top 3, I would have said, 'where do I have to sign?'. So many things can happen on the road. We spend so many hours on our bikes. We saw Kevin Benavides run into trouble and Daniel Sanders crash. Danger lurks around every corner. There are always up and downs, so all in all, I'm really happy it all went so well, despite the stress....
Stage 12 | Bike
Bisha > Jeddah
3| SAM SUNDERLAND
Sam Sunderland: "When you win the Dakar, it's all worth it"
The British biker took his second Dakar title, repeating his 2017 victory and building on his third place last year.
"I honestly can't be happier. This last stage was so difficult and so much stress… A lot of navigation, a lot of tricky notes, a few times a bit confusing and not sure I was going the right way. Phew. Honestly, my head can explode. The last ten minutes, I was not sure whether I'd won, now they've told me and, wow, dream come true. Even to listen to you say it brings a little bit of emotion there. I had a pretty...
Stage 12 | Bike
Bisha > Jeddah
7| PABLO QUINTANILLA
Pablo Quintanilla: "This was my most stressful Dakar yet"
It was a near-miss for the Chilean, who finished second overall as the highest ranked of Honda's four musketeers. A year ago, he joined the team from Husqvarna as a replacement for Benavides, who had jumped ship to KTM. The move has been a success for Quintanilla.
"I'm over the moon with this result. It was a really, really tough race. I did my best. This is a good result for me as part of a different team. We fought hard from day one. It was physically and mentally exhausting. But I'm really pleased with my performance in the race. I want to thank...
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