After leading most of the long distance rally, WRC legend, Carlos Sainz, was robbed of victory in the 2009 Dakar – the first Dakar held at its new home in South America. He well and truly avenged last years’ bad luck however, with a hard fought win at the 2010 Dakar. Sainz’s teammate, Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah, claimed second spot with an impeccable drive. In fact, the fight between the two teammates went down to the final 202 kilometer stage on the 14th and final day of the rally – with Sainz finishing just 2 minutes and 12 seconds ahead. In third was another VW piloted by USA’s Mark Miller – giving the TDI powered Race Touareg prototypes all three podium positions.

What makes this victory sweeter still is the diversity of the terrain, and the challenges it poses – ranging from massive dunes to gravel sections and boulder fields, not to mention high passes through the Andes, as well as passages through the worlds’ driest desert. In the end, Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz took top honours – becoming the first Spanish duo to do so. Nasser Al-Attiyah & Timo Gottschalk, and Mark Miller & Ralph Pitchford closed out the podium for VW. Last years’ winner, Giniel de Villiers, could only manage a seventh place in his VW.

Prior to his return to the cockpit of an F1 car, Formula 1 veteran, Michael Schumacher, was recently found testing a GP2 car at Jerez in Spain. Schumacher, who’s set to make a comeback to the sport with Mercedes GP, said he was more than happy behind the wheel of the GP2 single-seater. As there’s limited testing in F1, this was the only option available to him before testing officially begins for the 2010 Formula 1 season. It was also a chance for him to provide invaluable feedback to GP2 engineers in regards to their car, which is the proving ground for most young F1 aspirants. You get the sense that Formula 1 supremo, Bernie Ecclestone himself, who also promotes the GP2 series, must have been instrumental in orchestrating the test. And while the g-forces in a GP2 car are considerably less than an F1 car, the overall experience isn’t that far removed from F1. Despite some bad weather initially, Schumacher didn’t take long to get back into the groove, and he proved yet again that he’s lost none of his speed by lapping within a few tenths of the lap record. If there was ever any doubt, Schumacher’s shown that he clearly means business.