Dakar Rally news

Stéphane Peterhansel and Luc Alphand extended their overall lead to 11m 15s after setting the second fastest time, behind stage winner Carlos Sainz. The organizers had warned that navigation would be tricky on the day’s stage and there would be several carefully monitored speed restriction zones.

"There was some very difficult navigation in the early part of the stage and then a wide track," said Peterhansel. "Jean-Paul did a great job on the navigation and that was so important. We beat the bikes by around 30 minutes today. Tomorrow is not too long, but I remember the stage was difficult last year and several crews lost a lot of time.”

"It is always quite an easy stage when you have the right track," said Alphand. "It was easier for the cars with a co-driver than it was for the bikes. We decided this morning to stay behind Carlos Sainz and Carlos Sousa and behave. Both mirrors and both wings are intact on our car, so that proves we drove very sensibly."

"It was a great shame for Marc Coma in the bike category, but this proves that this race is never finished until you reach the final stage in Dakar," said Dominique Serieys. "We will stay quiet and very humble.”