Sainz promises respect in defending Dakar title

Defending champion Carlos Sainz has vowed to show respect and modesty as he sets about his hunt for a second triumph in the gruelling 13-stage Dakar Rally which starts today.

The 48-year-old Spaniard, the world rally champion in 1990 and 1992 who converted to cross country rallying in 2005, led last year’s Dakar from the fifth stage to finish ahead of Volkswagen team-mates, and chief rivals, Nasser al-Attiyah and Mark Miller.

“This year we still hardly know what to expect, as the organiser has only released a few details,” Sainz said of the course that sees 146 cars, 183 motorbikes, 68 lorries and 33 quad bikes racing 5,000km over a 9,500km-long course.

“Following my career in the World Rally Championship, if there is one important lesson that I learnt for desert rallies then it is this: You must approach the challenges thrown up every day with the greatest respect and always remain modest.”

After staging the event 29 times in Africa between 1979 and 2007, the rally switched continents in 2008 for security reasons.

The 2009 and 2010 editions of the rally have both also been staged in Argentina and Chile, and Sainz said the countries offered a much varied landscape.

“Compared to the stages in Africa it is the variety of the terrain in South America that impresses me the most. Beforehand the talk is frequently of very special challenges,” he said on Volkswagen’s website.

“The dune stages in the Atacama Desert and in the Cordilleras foothills will again certainly be a unique challenge.”

Attiyah has pinpointed the ninth stage as key to the gruelling race that ends back in Buenos Aires on January 15.

“By all accounts the loop around Copiapo in Chile will be one of the hardest during the entire rally with lots of soft sand,” said the 40-year-old Qatari.

In the motorbike section, French KTM rider Cyril Despres will also be seeking to defend his title although he admits it will be tough, with an average of 700km a day to cover.

“Most of the time on the Dakar I’m alone on my motorbike in the middle of nowhere and am trying to concentrate,” said Despres.

“The only way to remain focused for so long is to eliminate any other thoughts of before and after the race.”