Spain’s Carlos Sainz won the second stage of the Dakar Rally on Sunday, ahead of Mitsubishi’s Nani Roma and Luc Alphand.
Sainz, driving for Volkswagen, clocked 59 minutes and 26 seconds, while Roma and Alphand both timed 59:55 to finish second and third respectively.
”The important thing was to get through these two stages, and now we move on to Africa where the picture changes,” Sainz told Spanish news agency Efe.
France’s Stephane Peterhansel and Japan’s Hiroshi Masuouka, both of Mitsubishi, came fourth and fifth. Volkswagen driver Carlos Sousa, who won on Saturday, retained the overall lead.
Sousa finished ninth in the second stage, which took riders and racers from Portimao, Portugal, to Malaga, Spain, through a mountainous trek over 545km, with 67km timed.
Volkswagen took the first three spots in Saturday’s first stage.
After Malaga, the race crosses to the African continent, taking in Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and the Senegalese capital of Dakar, where the competitors are scheduled to finish the race on January 20.
On January 21, the remaining racers will participate in the first Grand Prix du Lac Rose, an exhibition race.
The Lisbon-Dakar off-road rally has 525 teams and 42 nationalities represented, with 250 motorcycles, 187 cars and 88 trucks contesting the 7 915km race through Europe and Africa. — Sapa-AP