SOUTH AFRICAN Giniel de Villiers took the lead on day seven of the Dakar Rally after Volkswagen teammate Carlos Sainz lost nearly five minutes in the sand dunes of Mauritania.

SANDSTORMS in the Mauritanian desert forced the cancellation of yesterday’s eighth stage of the Dakar Rally.

John Deacon has BMW team-mate Jimmy Lewis in his sights as the 38-year-old motorcycle dealer from Plymouth aims to snatch sixth place overall on the 14th stage of the Paris-Dakar Rally.