Lima: Emirati driver Abdullah Al Heraiz produced a consistent performance to finish in the 30th place overall in the car class in the gruelling Dakar Rally in South America.
After racing through Argentina, Chile and Peru in his Toyota Land Cruiser for more than two weeks, Al Heraiz and co-driver Khalid Ahmad Bilal Abdullah reached their impressive final position after finishing between 25th and 82nd in every one of the 14 stages.
Frenchmen Stephane Peterhansel and Cyril Despres won the major classes in the rally, Peterhansel claiming the Dakar car title for a record 10th time and Despres on his motorbike his fourth.
"This is without a shadow of a doubt the toughest Dakar I've ever raced in," Despres said. "It was difficult physically, but even more psychologically. Challenging yourself every morning and fighting on the course takes its toll on your mind." Sunday's final special stage was 29km long and both leaders took it easy on the last day. Peterhansel and Despres nearly wrapped up the titles on Saturday, needing only to avoid a major catastrophe to climb the podium.
— With inputs from AP
