Debutant Sainz wins second consecutive Dakar stage

Twice world rally champion Carlos Sainz of Spain extended his great start to the Dakar rally by winning yesterday's second stage in southern Portugal.

Sainz, making his Dakar debut, finished 25 seconds ahead of Frenchman Luc Alphand's Mitsubishi with Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah third a further three seconds back in a BMW.

Sainz, who won Saturday's opening stage in his Volkswagen Touareg prototype, is three minutes 45 seconds ahead of second-placed Alphand in the overall standings. Spaniard Nani Roma, driving a Mitsubishi, is third, 4:14 off the pace.

In the motorcycle section, Portuguese Ruben Faria won the stage ahead of Spaniard Isidre Esteve and Frenchman David Casteu, all on KTMs. Esteve leads overall from compatriot Marc Coma, also on a KTM.

After the day's timed section from Portimao to Alcoutim, the competitors had a 387-km drive to complete to Malaga, in southern Spain, where they were boarding a ship to Morocco.

The serious business starts today with the first stage on African soil, over 672 km in Morocco from Nador to Er Rachidia. The race ends on January 15.