Carlos Sainz defied difficult weather conditions to win the opening stage of his title defense in the car category of the Dakar Rally in Argentina on Sunday.
The Spanish driver was first away in the leg from Victoria to Cordoba and finished the 222 kilometers in two hours 18 minutes and 32 seconds to earn a lead of 1:31 from France's Stephane Peterhansel.
"For about 20 kilometers, we had a lot of rain. At times, we just could not see anything. Moreover, I had issues with the wipers that had stopped working," the 48-year-old Sainz told the race's official website.
"I am really happy the day is over. It was a bit like the Rally of Great Britain".
Peterhansel, who won the grueling 15-day endurance event three times in cars and five times before that on motorbikes when it was based in Africa, finished 45 seconds ahead of last year's runner-up Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar.
Sainz's Volkswagen team filled four of the top-five positions, with Peterhansel the best performer of the BMW vehicles.
Portugal's Ruben Faria followed up his win in the final stage of the 2010 edition to top the motorbike standings from KTM teammate and defending champion Cyril Depres.
Faria held a 29-second advantage after the 192-kilometer stage, while Spain's Marc Coma was third on another KTM. CNN
