The desert of Saudi Arabia witnessed something unprecedented that will be commented on for a long time. Nasser Al-Attiyah, the “Prince of the Sands“, once again proved that he is untouchable, grabbing his sixth title in the most grueling rally in the world. But the big sensation this time is not only in the piloting skills, but in the emblem of his machine. Ladies and gentlemen, Dacia is now officially at the top of the off-road world!
In one of the most dramatic and contested editions of the Dakar Rally in recent years, the Romanian manufacturer managed to do the impossible in only its second appearance. Until the very end, the race resembled a game of nerves and chess on the dunes, where the battle between the Dacia and Ford camps literally sparkled with tension.
Al-Attiyah, aided by the impeccable navigation of Fabian Luerken, demonstrated iron composure just as the hourglass was running out. In the penultimate stage, the Qatari ace managed to “push the gas to the metal”, decisively breaking away from Nani Roma. The Spaniard, for his part, experienced a real nightmare in the final, struggling with a technical failure that almost cost him the silver medal. In the end, Al-Attiyah crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead of almost 10 minutes, sealing the triumph of the Dacia Sandrider.
This victory is historic in many ways. Al-Attiyah is becoming a true “automotive chameleon“, winning his six statuettes with four radically different brands. His path began in 2011 with the Volkswagen Race Touareg in South America, went through the Mini X-Raid (2015) and marked an era with the Toyota Hilux (2019, 2022 and 2023). Today he is already a legend, having overtaken titans such as Carlos Sainz and Ari Vatanen.
While Nasser was celebrating, a real thriller for the bronze was unfolding behind him. Matthias Ekström with a Ford Raptor showed a lion's heart and managed to snatch the podium from the hands of the legendary Sebastian Loeb (also with Dacia) with a microscopic difference of... 8 seconds after thousands of kilometers in the sand! This is an incredible achievement for Ford, but the spotlight remained focused on the camp of the Romanian brand.
Why is Dacia the big news? Because this brand, which many associate with practical city and cheap cars, managed to construct a “monster”, naturally with the help of Prodrive, capable of defeating the biggest in the harshest conditions on the planet. Their project turned out to be not just a bold experiment, but an engineering perfection that “silences” the skeptics.
Now, Al-Attiyah has only one peak ahead of him - that of “Mr. Dakar”, Stephane Peterhanzel, who has 8 titles in cars. Looking at the confidence with which the Qatari drives his Dacia, hardly anyone doubts that the record is within reach. Get ready, because the era of Dacia in the desert is just beginning!
