Dakar 2021: delights, dunes and dromedaries
The 2021 Dakar provided another spectacular set of images, as drivers and riders battled the arid, dusty conditions
Dakar legend Stéphane Peterhansel celebrated his 14th career victory on the event, this time in a Mini buggy
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Held in Saudi Arabia for the second time, the 2021 Dakar gave us its customary thrills, off-road heartbreak and extreme tests of human endeavour, not to mention an even greater amount of navigational controversy than usual.
Stéphane Peterhansel took the overall car win in the X-Raid John Cooper Works Mini buggy – his 14th victory, 30 years after his first, achieved while competing in the bike category. A disgruntled Carlos Sainz finished third overall in another John Cooper Works Mini, the four-time Dakar winner complaining this year’s event was too reliant on navigation, likening it to a “gymkhana”.
Competitors this year were given their navigational roadbooks 15 minutes before the start of each stage, as opposed to the day before, meaning they had no time to add their own notes
