Defending champion Stephane Peterhansel, driving a Mitsubishi, won the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally on Thursday to storm to the top of the overall standings.
The Frenchman clocked eight hours, 21 minutes and 57 seconds over the 660km stage from Zouerat to Tichit to clinch his second stage win this year, having also been victorious on Wednesday.
Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, in a BMW, was second 25,40 behind, with Jutta Kleinschmidt of Germany, another former winner, in a Volkswagen, coming home in third place 26,07 off the pace.
Peterhansel now has a 21,32 lead over teammate and fellow Frenchman Luc Alphand, the former world skiing champion, while Kleinschmidt is third, 22,44 in arrears.
Meanwhile, France’s David Fretigne, riding a Yamaha, won the motorcycle stage.
Fretigne clocked 9:16,26 to finish ahead of KTM riders Marc Coma of Spain by 4,31 and France’s Cyril Despres by 5,22.
Coma regained a 16-second lead in the overall standings over Despres, with his fellow KTM riders, Australia’s Andy Caldecott and South African Alfie Cox, sharing third, 5,40 adrift of the pacesetter.
On Friday, the eighth stage sees competitors facing a 538km stage to Tidjikja, still in Mauritania, with a 520km timed section. — Sapa-AFP