The 2011 Dakar Rally is only two stages old, but there's already a big-time force at the top of the leader board. CNN reports that defending Dakar champion and Volkswagen driver Carlos Sainz has put the pedal to the metal to win the first two events and is leading BMW driver Stephane Peterhansel by a substantial three minutes, five seconds. Sainz's Touareg<
Carlos Sainz wins the 2010 Dakar Rally for VW – Click above for high-res image gallery
Click above for high-res gallery of awesome rally shots
Since Schumacher's retirement, many aspiring racers have been proclaimed as the champ's natural successor: his brother Ralf, his protege Felipe, the drivers that Michael's longtime manager Wili Webber has been handling, even Schumi's nephew. But now the man himself has put his weight behind Carlos Sainz, Jr. Schumi was quick to point out that he, like countless other star drivers, got his start in karts, and that the deal could put Sainz on the path to Formula One. Not too shabby an endorseme
