zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Carlos Sainz Nearly Takes Out Spectators In Terrifying Dakar Crash
Carlos Sainz Nearly Takes Out Spectators In Terrifying Dakar Crash-January 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:26

Note to spectators: on a curve on the edge of an exposed ravine isn’t the smartest place to stand when attempting to watch one of the most dangerous rallies on the planet.

Rally legend and father of Carlos Sainz Sr. was forced to retire after this terrifying rollover into a ravine, reports . Sainz lost over two hours because of the roll, which put him out of contention for a rally win. He was only 3.1 miles from the end of Stage 4.

Sainz and codriver Lucas Cruz were trying to make up for lost time from an earlier navigational error when the roll occurred, per . Sainz ran wide on the turn, essentially becoming a passenger in the car thanks to the lack of runoff. Fortunately, Sainz escaped with only a little pain in his back, however, his Peugeot 3008DKR’s cooling system and gearbox were both damaged.

The spectators appear to have run away in time to escape harm.

Dakar has not been kind to some of its biggest names. Two-time winner and possible savior of Volkswagen’s 2017 WRC cars Nasser Al-Attiyah retired the morning after Stage 3 due to extensive damage to his Toyota Hilux caused by a giant pothole, per .

They don’t make Hiluxes like they , man. Al-Attiyah’s accident happened while he was leading the rally, making it even more painful to see.

Stage 3 also took out last year’s winning motorcycle rider with a broken femur. If 12-time Dakar Rally winner Stephane Peterhansel wasn’t in the lead, I’d say Dakar wants a brand-new set of winners this year.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Why Your Favorite Car Is Already Done At Le Mans With Over 8 Hours Left
Why Your Favorite Car Is Already Done At Le Mans With Over 8 Hours Left
Did you get suckered into doing other things during the past 15 hours besides watching the 24 Hours of Le Mans? Are you looking at the wondering why we’re down to only one working Porsche 911 RSR and one Toyota TS050? We’re here to help. Here’s the rundown of retirements...
Jan 1, 2026
Stop And Go Penalties Are Really Bad When Your Car Can't Start
Stop And Go Penalties Are Really Bad When Your Car Can't Start
One of the front-running LMP2-class cars—who was briefly in second place overall—found racing’s ultimate catch-22. How do you serve a stop and go penalty when the starter that makes your car go doesn’t work? Starter issues have affected a couple LMP2-class cars, including the current race-leading No. 38 Jackie Chan...
Jan 1, 2026
Porsche Claws Back Up From 56th Place To Win The 2017 24 Hours Of Le Mans
Porsche Claws Back Up From 56th Place To Win The 2017 24 Hours Of Le Mans
At one point in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, the No. 2 Porsche 919 was stuck in the garage for replacing hard-to-reach hybrid components. Every single car in its top LMP1 class either retired or suffered devastating mechanical problems, but of the LMP1 survivors, Porsche’s problems showed up...
Jan 1, 2026
Aston Martin Driver Loses His Lead At Le Mans With Mad Off-Roading Skills
Aston Martin Driver Loses His Lead At Le Mans With Mad Off-Roading Skills
If you’re going to lose your lead, at least do it in an amusing fashion. Despite the lack of drama left in the 24 Hours of Le Mans’ top LMP1 class, the LM GTE Pro class battle is as hotly contested as ever. No. 95 Aston Martin driver Richie Stanaway...
Jan 1, 2026
The 24 Hours Of Le Mans' Second Fastest Class Is 'Like Giving A Drunk Guy An AK-47'
The 24 Hours Of Le Mans' Second Fastest Class Is 'Like Giving A Drunk Guy An AK-47'
Racing interviews are usually too polite and vague. Not so with No. 62 Scuderia Corsa driver Townsend Bell. Bell told Fox Sports all about his thoughts on the huge LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. Spoiler alert: he’s not fond of how some of them...
Jan 1, 2026
Leading Porsche 919 Fails And Now All Of Le Mans' Fastest Class Of Cars Has Broken
Leading Porsche 919 Fails And Now All Of Le Mans' Fastest Class Of Cars Has Broken
With three hours and 47 minutes left in the race, the last of the fastest LMP1 cars that hadn’t retired or had a major mechanical failure has come to a halt on track. The No. 1 Porsche 919 suddenly slowed with no oil pressure with André Lotterer behind the wheel....
Jan 1, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved