Stéphane Peterhansel Cements Legend With 14th Dakar Rally Crown; MINI And Honda Secure 2nd Straight Wins - HotCars

The 2021 Dakar Rally, considered as one of the grueling rally races in the world, has come to an eventual close. While camels passing over the sand dunes is a marvelous sight, we are awed as to how different vehicles managed to complete to 4,751 miles of tough. Dominating them all is BMW's MINI JCW Buggy piloted by record winner Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA) and co-driver Edouard Boulanger (FRA).

Peterhansel Grabs 14th Dakar Rally Win

Peterhansel and Boulanger of X-Raid Mini JCW Team completed the race in Jeddah in 44 hours, 28 minutes and 11 seconds. Interestingly, they only won a single stage (Stage 9 in Neom), but their consistent performance -- top 3 finishes in 10 of 12 stages – allowed them to secure the overall win in the 43rd Dakar Rally. This is Peterhansel's 14th Dakar win, making him a true rally legend.

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This marks the second straight win for the MINI JCW Buggy, which won the 2020 Rally with Carlos Sainz (ESP) and Lucas Cruz (ESP). The Spaniards took the third place (45: 29' 08"), finishing behind runners up Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) and Matthieu Baumel (FRA) of Toyota Gazoo Racing. Six of the eight Mini cars completed the 2021 Dakar Rally, including Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS) and Dmitry Tsyro (UKR).

Honda Secures 1-2 Finish In Bike Category

On the other hand, Honda also grabbed its second straight overall win in the motorcycle category of the 2021 Dakar Rally. Kevin Benavides (ARG) of Monster Energy Honda crossed the finish line in 47: 18' 14'' riding a Honda CRF450 Rally. The Dakar win is Benavides' first since he began competing in the event in 2016.

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Benavides is closely followed by teammate Ricky Brabec (USA), who finished the 2021 Dakar Rally in 47: 23' 10'', or just 4' 46" behind. This is the first time in 34 years that Honda finished 1-2 in the Dakar Rally, following Cyril Neveu and Edi Orioli in 1987. Brabec won the rally's motorcycle category in 2020.

Tough Race: 4,751 Miles Of Sand, Rocks And Dirt

Second Consecutive Dakar Rally Victory for Honda — Via Honda

The 2021 Dakar Rally was spread between 7,646 km (4,751 miles) of sand, rocks and dirt and was divided into 12 stages. Both the start and finish line is at the city of Jeddah, and around 90% of the route was new. Competitors were surely tested, several didn't finish, and sadly one died as French motorcycle rider Pierre Cherpin passed away five days after crashing during the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally. It was his fourth Dakar Rally.

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Source: BMW Group, Honda

NEXT: 2021 Dakar Rally: 4,751 Miles, 12 Stages Of The Harshest And Toughest Race Route On Earth

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Julybien Atadero (887 Articles Published)

Julybien Atadero writes from the island of Cebu covering various automotive topics including new sports cars, classic muscles, pickup trucks and SUVs. While I like peace and quiet, I love playing with my kid. When I have nothing else to do, I watch documentaries and animations.