Far better luck for three-times Dakar champion Stephane Peterhansel, who made the most of the sand dunes
to leap from sixth to first in the latest special stage of the race. The French driver finished nearly six minutes ahead of Spain´s Carlos Sainz on the day and 4´ 33 in the general standings with Qatar´s Nasser Al -Attiyah in third place.

The motor cycle category has a new overall leader in Frenchman Cyril Despres, overtaking compatriot
David Casteu, who lost 21 minutes to Despres with a spluttering engine over the sand dunes. Casteu, who won
the first special stage, was forced to slow down to aviod his engine overheating and secondly to help friend
Marc Coma.

A battery failure set Casteau even further back. Despres now holds a lead of 10 ´ 03 ´´ over
Casteu in the overall standings. Portugal´s Helder Rodrigues is in thrid place.