Rallying: Al-Attiyah claims maiden Dakar win

Volkswagen driver Nasser Al-Attiyah coolly claimed his maiden Dakar Rally success as Carlos Sainz took the stage win on the 13th and final test of this year's event.

Qatari ace Al-Attiyah started the day with a lead of over 48 minutes over team-mate and runner-up Giniel de Villiers and he stretched that advantage to more than 50 minutes as he finished second to Sainz on the day, with the Spaniard extending his record of Dakar stage victories to 24.

Forty-year-old Al-Attiyah was never likely to lose such a handsome lead on Saturday's short 181-kilometre run from Cordoba back to Buenos Aires, with the pivotal moments of the event coming when defending champion Sainz, who eventually finished third overall, struggled on stage eight before losing huge chunks of time during stages ten and 11.

Al-Attiyah, who was second last year to Sainz, called the victory "the biggest moment of my career" and said it would help put Qatar on the map.

BMW's Stephane Peterhansel, of France, was the best of the non-Volkswagens in fourth place.