Nani Roma took out the 2014 Dakar Rally after team-mate Stephane Peterhansel handed the lead to the Spaniard on the final stage.
Having led the majority of the event, Roma found himself 26 seconds behind Peterhansel following a puncture on the penultimate stage.
Peterhansel, who had dropped as much as 40 minutes from Roma with problems in the opening days, had been ordered to stay behind Roma upon catching the Spaniard with three stages remaining.
The decision, made by the Mini team to protect its eventual one-two-three result, robbed the event of an exciting conclusion and Peterhansel of a potential 13th Dakar win.
The result marks Roma’s first victory in the car division having taken a KTM to first overall in the motorcycles 10 years ago.
He is just the third man, behind Peterhansel and Hubert Auriol, to achieve the double.
“I don’t know if this was the most stressful thing I’d ever done, but it was very tough,” he said of the rally, which ran from Sante Fe, Argentina, to Valparasio, Chille.
“The second week, with difficult, long stages, wasn’t easy.”
Peterhansel admitted to his frustration, but added that he was happy for his team-mate’s success.
“Let’s look on the bright side of things. The car didn’t miss a beat, it took anything we threw at it, like usual, and we had lots of fun driving,” he said.
“But I’m frustrated with the final result.
“The third thing I want to say is that Nani’s my friend, and I’m pleased to see him happy because it’s been his dream for ten years, since he shifted to a car.”
Earlier in the week, event director Etienne Lavigne slammed Mini’s approach to the rally.
“Fighting without risk is triumph without glory,” he said.
Minis took five out of the top six places with Nasser Al-Attiyah third, Orlando Terranova fifth and Krzysztof Holowczyc sixth.
Winner of the final stage, South African Giniel de Villiers, was fourth in his Toyota.
Former World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz won two stages in his SMG Buggy, but was beset by problems in the first week and eventually crashed out on Stage 10.
In the bikes, Marc Coma finished almost two hours clear of fellow KTM rider Jordi Viladoms to claim his fourth victory.
Australians Troy O’Connor, Shane Diener and Allan Roberts filled 37th through 39th at the end of the marathon event.
