Frenchman Richard Sainct claimed the third Dakar Rally victory of his career today. Sainct took victory by over seven minutes over fellow Frenchman Cyril Despres, with defending race champion Fabrizio Meoni finishing some 30 minutes behind in third place.
Despite finishing second Despres was never really a factor as this Dakar Rally was really between Sainct and Meoni. Still, Despres took the runnerup spot despite breaking his collarbone just four weeks prior to the start of the rally.
Meoni had transmission problems as he tried to win the final stage today, his KTM stuck in third gear on the high-speed run to the finish.
