VESZPREM, Hungary — Carlos Sainz won the Central Europe Rally in a Volkswagen Touareg on Saturday, while NASCAR driver Robby Gordon was on a team that finished 10th.
Sainz and his co-pilot, Michel Perin, completed the seven-day event in 11 hours, 18 minutes, 8 seconds. Competitors drove a total of 1,670 miles across Hungary and Romania. Stephane Peterhansel was second and Deiter Depping finished third.
Americans Robert Baldwin and Kevin Heath, who were 23rd after the first day, moved up in the overall classification during the last few stages and finished seventh in their Hummer H3. Gordon and co-pilot Andy Grider, who were second after the first stage in their Hummer H3, finished 10th.
Peterhansel, a nine-time champion of the Dakar Rally, finished about 2 minutes behind Sainz in a Mitsubishi, with Depping’s Touareg a further 4½ minutes back.
Sainz, the world rally champion in 1990 and 1992, nearly dropped out Tuesday after an accident. The Spaniard recovered to win the two stages prior to Saturday’s final.
The Central Europe Rally is the first event of the Dakar Series, a new competition launched by the organizers of the Dakar Rally, which was canceled this year due to terrorism threats in North Africa.
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