Dakar Rally 2015

Photos by Felipe Dana

Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar in the car category and Spain’s Marc Coma in bikes won the Dakar Rally on Saturday.

The victory was Al-Attiyah’s second in cars, matching his 2011 title. He is the seventh to win multiple titles in the car category.

South African Ginel de Villiers was 35 minutes, 34 seconds behind in second place, and Krzysztof Holowczyc of Poland was third. Holowczyc was 1:32:01 adrift in the grueling, two-week rally across Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.

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KTM rider Marc Coma of Spain is raised by his crew as he celebrates after winning the Dakar Rally 2015 motorcycle category, at the end of twelfth stage in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

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“I’m delighted I’ve won the Dakar,” Al-Attiyah told reporters. “It’s a really special moment for me. It’s fantastic because we’ve dominated the race from the beginning and were able to control the rally throughout.”

Al-Attiyah described himself as “really prepared. I was strong mentally and physically.”

Asked what to expect next year at Dakar, he replied: “Just continue to win more.”

Coma won his fifth Dakar title on bikes, finishing 16:53 ahead of Paulo Goncalves of Portugal, and 23:14 in front of Toby Price of Australia.

The stage ended in Baradero, north of the Argentine capital.

Coma’s five bike titles tie him with Frenchmen Cyril Despres and Cyril Neveu. Another Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel has won six. Peterhansel has also won five times in cars – the last in 2013 – making him the most successful racer in Dakar history.

Officials shortened the final stage because of heavy rain, which made parts of the route unsafe.

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Click on any image to launch the Dakar Rally 2015 gallery.

KTM rider Marc Coma of Spain laughs after the official photo ahead of the Dakar Rally 2015 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015. The race will start on Jan. 4 and finish on Jan. 17, passing through Bolivia and Chile and returning to Argentina. Coma won the Dakar Rally 2015 motorcycle category.(AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Mini driver Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar, right, and co-pilot Matthieu Baumel of France, celebrate on the podium after winning the Dakar Rally 2015 car category in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

KTM rider Hans Vogels, from the Netherlands, races during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between the cities of Termas de Rio Hondo and Rosario, Argentina, Friday, Jan. 16, 2015. The race returned to Argentina after passing through Bolivia and Chile and will finish on Jan. 17 in Buenos Aires. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

KTM David Pabiska races through the Canyons during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between the cities of Salta and Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015. The race returned to Argentina after passing through Bolivia and Chile and will finish on Jan. 17 in Buenos Aires. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Yamaha quad rider Camelia Liparoti, from France, arrives to the Uyuni camp after completing the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between Iquique, Chile, and Uyuni, Bolivia, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015. The race will finish on Jan. 17, passing through Bolivia and Chile before returning to Argentina where it started. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Mechanics work on motorcycles at the Dakar Rally 2015 camp before the start of the last stage between the cities of Rosario and Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Jan. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Hummer driver Robby Gordon and co-pilot Johnny Campbell, both from the U.S., race across the Uyuni salt flats during the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between Uyuni, Bolivia, and Iquique, Chile, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Peugeot driver Stephane Peterhansel, from France, talks on a sat phone after a mechanical problem during the ninth stage of the Dakar Rally between the cities of Iquique and Calama, Chile, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. The race will finish on Jan. 17, passing through Bolivia and Chile before returning to Argentina where it started. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana

A competitor races past Cactus Island along the Uyuni salt flats during the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between Uyuni, Bolivia, and Iquique, Chile, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015. The race will finish on Jan. 17, passing through Bolivia and Chile before returning to Argentina where it started. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Peugeot driver Stephane Peterhansel and co-pilot Jean Paul Cottret, both of France, race during the third stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between the cities of San Juan and Chilecito, Argentina, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Peugeot driver Stephane Peterhansel and co-pilot Jean Paul Cottret, both of France, work to fix their car after a mechanical problem during the ninth stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between the cities of Iquique and Calama, Chile, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. The race will finish on Jan. 17, passing through Bolivia and Chile before returning to Argentina where it started. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

People gather on the Uyuni salt flats as Dakar competitors line up, center, to start the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between Uyuni, Bolivia, and Iquique, Chile, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015. The race will finish on Jan. 17, passing through Bolivia and Chile before returning to Argentina where it started. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Yamaha quad rider Juan Carlos Carignani, from Italy, arrives with his face covered in dirt at the Uyuni camp after completing the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between Iquique, Chile, and Uyuni, Bolivia, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015. The race will finish on Jan. 17, passing through Bolivia and Chile before returning to Argentina where it started. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Spectators celebrate as competitors arrive at the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between Iquique, Chile, and Uyuni, Bolivia, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015. The race will finish on Jan. 17, passing through Bolivia and Chile before returning to Argentina where it started. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

KTM rider Pablo Quintanilla of Chile races during the sixth stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between the cities of Antofagasta and Iquique, Chile, Friday, Jan. 9, 2015. The race will finish on Jan. 17, passing through Bolivia and Chile before returning to Argentina where it started. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

KTM rider Alberto Brioschi, from Italy, stands next to his motorbike stuck in the sand during the fourth stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between Chilecito, Argentina and Copiapo, Chile, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. The race will finish on Jan. 17, passing through Bolivia and Chile before returning to Argentina where it started. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

X-Raid driver Guerlain Chicherit and co-pilot Alexandre Winocq, both of France, race during the third stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between the cities of San Juan and Chilecito, Argentina, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Two quads and a motorbike race during the fourth stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between Chilecito, Argentina and Copiapo, Chile, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. The race will finish on Jan. 17, passing through Bolivia and Chile and returning to Argentina where it started. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Buggy MD Rally driver Pascal Thomasse and co-pilot Pascal Larroque, both of France, race during the third stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between the cities of San Juan and Chilecito, Argentina, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. The race will finish on Jan. 17, passing through Bolivia and Chile and returning to Argentina. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A man stand next to his horse and dogs as he watches the second stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between the cities of Villa Carlos Paz and San Juan, Argentina, Monday, Jan. 5, 2015. The race will finish on Jan. 17, passing through Bolivia and Chile and returning to Argentina. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Mini driver Orlando Terranova and co-pilot Bernardo Graue, both of Argentina, race during the second stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between the cities of Villa Carlos Paz and San Juan, Argentina, Monday, Jan. 5, 2015. The race will finish on Jan. 17, passing through Bolivia and Chile and returning to Argentina. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

In this Sunday, Jan. 4 photo, Michal Hernik of Poland posses for a picture as he crosses the podium ramp during the symbolic start of the Dakar Rally 2015 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2015. According to race authorities Hernik was found dead during the third stage of the race, between the cities of San Juan and Chilecito, in Argentina, Tuesday Jan. 6, 2015. No apparent reason for his death was given by the race organizers. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Yamaha rider Bruno da Costa of France greets spectators as he arrives for the symbolic start of the Dakar Rally 2015 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015. The race will start on Jan. 4 and finish on Jan. 17, from Buenos Aires, passing through Bolivia and Chile and returning to Argentina. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

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Text from AP news story, Al-Attiyah Wins 2nd Dakar Rally; Coma Wins 5th on Bike.

 

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