Peterhansel wins stage to bolster Dakar lead

Defending champion Stephane Peterhansel increased his overall lead in the Dakar rally by powering to victory on the 668-km stage 13 yesterday. The Frenchman overtook stage 12 winner Giniel de Villiers before benefiting from a navigational error by...

Defending champion Stephane Peterhansel increased his overall lead in the Dakar rally by powering to victory on the 668-km stage 13 yesterday.

The Frenchman overtook stage 12 winner Giniel de Villiers before benefiting from a navigational error by closest rival Luc Alphand to reach the line in Kayes in Mali four minutes 17 seconds in front.

He now leads compatriot and fellow Mitsubishi driver Alphand by 27:33 overall with just three stages left before the finish in the Senegalese capital Dakar.

Motorcycles returned to action yesterday after stage 12 was cancelled on Wednesday as a mark of respect for riders Fabrizio Meoni and Jose Manuel Perez, who died earlier in the week following crashes.

Australian Andy Caldecott won the bike stage while the overall leadership stays with Frenchman Cyril Despres.

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