'We were right there' - Giniel

epa04565072 South African pilot Giniel de Villiers celebrates his second place on vehicle´s category after the last stage of the 2015 Rally Dakar, between Rosario and Buenos Aires, in Argentina, 17 January 2015. EPA/FELIPE TRUEBA

epa04565072 South African pilot Giniel de Villiers celebrates his second place on vehicle´s category after the last stage of the 2015 Rally Dakar, between Rosario and Buenos Aires, in Argentina, 17 January 2015. EPA/FELIPE TRUEBA

Published Jan 19, 2015

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Buenos Aires, Argentina - Nasser Al-Attiyah and Marc Coma avoided any last-minute drama to claim the car and bike titles in the 2015 Dakar Rally which - after 9000 gruelling kilometres - concluded in Baradero on Saturday.

For both it was a case of renewed glory in the notoriously tough event described as rallying's Everest, with 44-year-old Qatari Al-Attiyah having won the 2011 title and defending champion Coma claiming his fifth victory in the motorcycle category.

It was also a fourth consecutive Dakar title for Al-Attiyah's Mini team, as well as a 14th straight win for Coma's KTM outfit.

Al-Attiyah finished sixth in the 13th and final stage from Rosario to Bardero north of Buenos Aires which was shortened to only 34km due to heavy rain, to became only the seventh multiple car winner.

“The key was to stay in front each day, and that wasn't easy,” he said afterwards. “We had to work day after day... I reckon experience helped in this second title, and training.”

Coma for his part said he was “proud and happy” of his fifth Dakar victory.

“To talk about a sixth title next year is still too early, I want to first of all enjoy this fifth win.”

Al-Attiyah, who has also enjoyed success in the Olympic Games, winning bronze in skeet shooting at the 2012 Games in London, dominated from start to finish.

He set down his marker for the title by posting the quickest time in the opening stage leaving Buenos Aires a fortnight ago.

He was subsequently stripped of the first stage for speeding, but did not let that hiccup distract him as he bounced back to take the second stage, and ended with five stage wins in all.

He dealt masterfully with all the Dakar could throw at him, from crossing the Andes to coping with Chile's Atacama desert to Bolivia's salt flats.

TAKING ON THE WORLD’S BEST

Top South African driver Giniel de Villiers brought the No.303 works Hilux bakkie home in second, 35min54s behind Al-Attiyah after two weeks on the road, for his and Toyota Motorsport SA’s third podium finish in four years.

"It was a great Dakar for us," said a smiling De Villiers from the final podium in the Argentine capital. "We were right there, in the thick of the fight - we’ve shown everybody that we’re more than capable of taking on the biggest names out there."

De Villiers finished almost almost an hour ahead of third-placed Mini driver Krzysztof Holowczyc.

In the curtailed closing stage, Robby Gordon came out on top, the American crossing the line in his Hummer more than 30 seconds clear of hotshot South African Leeroy Poulter in the second works Toyota Hilux, with Argentina's Emiliano Spataro crossed in third.

For Poulter the 2015 Dakar 2015 had big highs as well as moments of disappointment. He showed exceptional pace throughout but a broken suspension component cost him significant time early on. He also missed one waypoint, which cost him a 40 minute penalty.

As a result he finished sixteenth overall, but was on course to win the final stage - until the organisers halted Stage 13, between Rosario and Buenos Aires, after just one waypoint, due to flooding on the route. This meant that Gordon, who was leading at the time of the cancellation, was awarded the stage win, with Poulter posting a time just 25 seconds off his pace.

"We had a good race, and learnt a lot this year," said Poulter after finishing completing the liaison to the Argentine capital. "This isn't a race you come and win on your debut, and not on your second year either. It takes time to understand the workings of the Dakar, but I really feel that we've grown a lot this year."

Johan van Staden was lying 31st in the ProDakar Navara when the final stage was abandoned; he was also classified 31st overall, out of 67 finishers in the car category.

MOTORCYCLES

In the bikes race, Coma, the 38-year-old from Catalonia, equalled the number of Dakar wins by French duo Cyril Neveu and Cyril Despres - who now competes in the car category for Peugeot - and is one behind another Frenchman, Stephane Peterhansel.

Coma added: “Everybody was saying that Despres’ absence would make it easy for me, but that was absolutely not the case.”

Coma was joined on the final podium by Paulo Goncalves, riding a Honda and almost 17 minutes adrift with Australia's Toby Price, on another KTM, finishing third in the overall standings.

Saturday's 393km final stage, with 101km timed, between Rosario and Baradero was won by Ivan Jakes of Slovakia.

He was followed across the line by his compatriot Stefan Svitko with Price taking third for a KTM 1-2-3.

Organisers were forced to shorten the stage as heavy rain had rendered sections of the road too dangerous.

Coma, who came in fifth on Saturday, inherited the lead in the overall standings from Honda's Joan Barreda after the eighth stage.

Coma opened his Dakar account in Africa in 2006, he then won again in 2009, the first time it was held in South America, adding the 2011, 2014 and now this year's title.

Top lady rider Laia Sanz finished ninth, bettering by one place the highest ever finish for a woman rider.

Capetonian Albert Hintenaus, the only South African rider to finish the 2015 Dakar on two wheels, brought his KTM 450 Rally Replica home 65th on the final stage, to be classified 43rd overall, out of 79 finishers in the motorcycle category.

TRUCKS AND QUADS

Russian Airat Mardeev won the truck category, while Polish rider Rafal Sonik of Poland came out on top in the quads. Only 18 quads finished the 2015 Dakar, out of 44 starters, with South African Dakar rookie Hannes Saaijman putting in a superb ride on the last day aboard his Yamaha 700 Raptor to win the final stage and finish ninth overall.

Slightly more than half the 406 competitors that set out two weeks ago completed the rally.

This year's edition cost one competitor his life - Polish motorcyclist Michal Hernik died from hyperthermia and dehydration during the third stage from San Juan to Chilecito.

Hernik, 39, was found dead a few hundred metres from the track after a helicopter had been sent out to look for him when he failed to turn up at the finish and his tracker stopped sending a signal.

His was the fifth death since the rally was moved to South America due to security concerns in the Sahara desert and the 24th overall since the race was first run in 1979. - AFP

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