The Dacia Sandriders has won the 48th edition of the Dakar Rally, with Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin claiming a commanding overall victory in Saudi Arabia. They secured the win by a margin of almost 10 minutes after a cautious run on the final stage, sealing an outstanding result in Dacia's only second participation in the world's toughest rally-raid event, according to the company statement.

Nasser Al-Attiyah has now won the Dakar Rally on six occasions, including three times in Saudi Arabia – its home since 2020 – his previous triumphs coming in 2011, 2015, 2019, 2022, and 2023.

For Fabian Lurquin, the victory was his first in the event and the first in the car category by a Belgian navigator. He had three Dakar Rally podiums on his CV prior to this year's contest, having finished second in 2022 and 2023 and third in 2024.

Katrin Adt, CEO of Dacia Brand, said: "We did it! What an achievement, what an adventure, what a performance! Today is a historic moment and the proudest moment for the whole Dacia brand, our partners, and customers. It's the result of so much hard work by so many talented people and shows that the Dacia Sandrider is reliable and robust."

The result capped a highly successful campaign for the Dacia Sandriders, with all four of its crews reaching the finish after 13 gruelling days and nearly 8,000 kilometres of racing. Sébastien Loeb and Édouard Boulanger finished fourth overall, narrowly missing out on the podium, while Lucas Moraes and Dennis Zenz placed seventh in their first Dakar with the team. 

Meanwhile, Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno completed the event in 11th position.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Media.dacia.com)