Carlos Sainz, the Dakar grandfather who doesn’t want to retire | Kinds of sports

There is little left for Carlos Sainz Senamore (Madrid, 61 years old), the oldest winner of the Dakar Rally. He has just lifted his fourth Touareg with a fourth different brand, an unprecedented milestone in the test, and appears to be taking no action regarding withdrawal just yet. The Spanish driver, one of the world’s greatest motorsport icons, said that “maybe the next goal is to become the first grandfather to win the Dakar.” I left this comment a couple of years ago during a chat with…

There is little left for Carlos Sainz Senamore (Madrid, 61 years old), the oldest winner of the Dakar Rally. He has just lifted his fourth Touareg with a fourth different brand, an unprecedented milestone in the test, and appears to be taking no action regarding withdrawal just yet. The Spanish driver, one of the world’s greatest motorsport icons, said that “maybe the next goal is to become the first grandfather to win the Dakar.” He made this comment a couple of years ago during a conversation with university students, and this Friday, in the midst of celebrations, he did not want to risk whether he would actually try or perhaps choose to leave the top. . “At this point I have something to celebrate,” he said as soon as he got out of the car.

Tears could be seen in his eyes as Sainz discovered his family’s presence in the middle of the crowd, a last-minute surprise. “They didn’t tell me anything. Imagine, I am proud that you are here, that you see this. All the work they go through at home is rewarded,” he was excited. Competition and his people were his two main pillars. “This is one of the most beautiful moments in his and our lives. The whole family worked together for this and we are very proud of what he has achieved,” commented his son Carlos, a Ferrari Formula 1 driver, as he hugged him at the finish line.

Two decades ago, Sainz announced his retirement from the World Rally Championship precisely so that he could spend more time with his family. “My daughter told me today that she doesn’t know how to ride a bike yet… and she’s six years old. Imagine,” he said then. This pause lasted a year, and the Dakar lit the fuse for a second sporting stage that it never imagined would be so long. “The world of sports is healthy, fun and competitive, and that is why I have dedicated my whole life to it,” he reflects in a conversation with EL PAÍS.

Those who know him best point out that the main key to Sainz’s success is his iron-fisted work discipline, the same one he has applied without exception since his teenage years, when he won the Spanish Squash Championship at the age of 16. “Firstly, it’s his motivation, his desire to run. That’s why whatever works, works. Their preparation is crucial, both physically and mentally,” says Lucas Cruz, co-pilot of his four Dakar events. “An elite athlete is supposed to have talent, but not ability to work. This is where Carlos is decisive,” adds Luis Moya, with whom Sainz won two World Rally Championships in 1990 and 1992, catapulting him to stardom.

From the Audi tent, they emphasize their commitment to knowledge and understanding of even the smallest technical details of the car, which is another aspect that sets it apart from most drivers. “He is the one who knows the car better than anyone, he picks up any strange noise better than anyone else. He is always able to show the engineers the best path,” says Joan Navarro, Technical Manager of Your Vehicle. Moya highlights Sainz’s credentials as a car designer: “His sensitivity to the car is extraordinary, in the world of rallying he is known as the best test driver in history, and I dare say the same at Dakar. The car that moved, the car that led to victory.”

The Madrid native’s great evolution and learning at the Dakar was to manage his emotions. During his long and difficult career, with unexpected surprises every day, he managed to abstract himself from the past and focus his attention on the immediate present. Taking things one day at a time was his motto for the Class of 2024, but he long ago learned to block out frustrations and curb his impatient nature: “I tried to learn not to go out faster the day after something happened to me. .,” he told this newspaper in a recent interview.

“I’m impressed. “Most people at 61 are only thinking about retirement,” says David Richards, the head of Prodrive, who met Sainz while they worked together at Subaru in the Nineties. After their alliance brought the Japanese brand its first WRC title in 1995, he suffered for the most part as a rival.Sience’s career is so vast that almost everyone in the caravan can tell one or another small fight with him as the main character.

“This guy at his age is incredible. If he wants, he can win many more victories in the Dakar,” says Sven Quandt, Audi project manager. “He always demands the maximum, he is very strict with himself, as demanding as he is with the rest of the team,” he adds. “His secret is the same as mine, his passion for it,” says Stéphane Peterhansel, the competition’s most successful rider and one of his great teammates and rivals. “All his life he was a fighter, a natural competitor, and suffice it to say, stopping when you feel that you can be on top, achieving a good result is not easy. In this we are very similar,” praises the winner of fourteen Tuaregs.

As Sainz himself reminds this newspaper, he has earned the right to decide when the farewell comes, which is difficult to imagine now that he is still at the top: “At this stage of my sporting career, I have earned the right to decide how long I want to be there and that the decision was respected.” Cruz, his navigator, suggests a possible solution to the puzzle. “He wants to keep fighting and dedicate himself to what he loves best,” he says. It looks like he has every chance to celebrate and continue competing.

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