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Saudi Dakar Rally Concludes 5th Edition with Participation of 778 Drivers, Co-drivers

The rally witnessed the participation of 778 drivers and co-drivers using 434 vehicles in six categories. SPA
The rally witnessed the participation of 778 drivers and co-drivers using 434 vehicles in six categories. SPA
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Saudi Dakar Rally Concludes 5th Edition with Participation of 778 Drivers, Co-drivers

The rally witnessed the participation of 778 drivers and co-drivers using 434 vehicles in six categories. SPA
The rally witnessed the participation of 778 drivers and co-drivers using 434 vehicles in six categories. SPA

The city of Yanbu witnessed on Friday evening the closing ceremony of Saudi Dakar Rally 2024 in its 5th edition, and the 46th in the history of the world rally, after an exciting competition for 14 days in 12 stages, with a distance exceeding the 7,500 km.

The rally witnessed the participation of 778 drivers and co-drivers using 434 vehicles in six categories: cars, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicle (ATV) or quads, desert Challenger vehicles, Side by Side (SxS) light commercial desert vehicles, and trucks.

Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), and Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC), crowned the winners of this race.

Spain’s Carlos Sainz, driver of the team “Audi,” won the Saudi Dakar Rally 2024 title in the car category for the 4th time in its history, and for the second time in the Kingdom, becoming the first driver to win the rally using an electric car with four different manufacturers, in an hour, 20 minutes and 25 seconds.

Belgian rally driver Guillaume de Mévius came in second, while France’s Sébastien Loeb came in third, with a difference of one hour, 25 minutes and 12 seconds.

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‘Unbelievable’ Odegaard Transforms Arsenal and Gets Saka Smiling Again

Soccer Football - Champions League - Sporting CP v Arsenal - Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - November 26, 2024 Arsenal's Martin Odegaard Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
Soccer Football - Champions League - Sporting CP v Arsenal - Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - November 26, 2024 Arsenal's Martin Odegaard Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
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‘Unbelievable’ Odegaard Transforms Arsenal and Gets Saka Smiling Again

Soccer Football - Champions League - Sporting CP v Arsenal - Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - November 26, 2024 Arsenal's Martin Odegaard Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
Soccer Football - Champions League - Sporting CP v Arsenal - Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - November 26, 2024 Arsenal's Martin Odegaard Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

The goals are flying in again for Arsenal — and it just happens to coincide with the return from injury of Martin Odegaard.

Make that eight goals in two games since the international break for Arsenal after its 5-1 hammering of Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday, tying the English team’s heaviest ever away win in the competition.

Odegaard is back in Arsenal’s team after missing two months with an ankle injury. In that time, Mikel Arteta’s attack stuttered, with a 2-0 loss to Bournemouth and a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle dropping the Gunners well off the pace in the Premier League. There was also a 0-0 draw at Atalanta in the Champions League as well as a 1-0 loss to Inter Milan last month, when Odegaard made his comeback from injury as an 89th-minute substitute.

Since then, Arsenal hasn’t lost and the goals have returned. After a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday came the cruise in Lisbon — and Odegaard was at the heart of everything as Sporting’s unbeaten start to the season came to an end.

“He’s an unbelievable player,” Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka said of Odegaard. “The day he returned, there was a big smile on my face. You can see the chemistry we have. I hope he stays fit for the rest of the season.”

Odegaard was involved in the build-up to Arsenal’s first two goals against Sporting — scored by Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz — and was fouled to win the penalty converted by Saka in the 65th to restore Arsenal’s three-goal lead at 4-1.

Odegaard was seen flexing his leg after that but continued untroubled and was substituted in the 78th minute.

The last thing Arteta would want now is another injury to Odegaard as Arsenal attempts to reel in first-place Liverpool in the Premier League. Liverpool is already nine points ahead of fourth-place Arsenal after 12 games.