Peterhansel presses on

Stephane Peterhansel won stage 13 of the Dakar Rally today to extend his overall lead.

The Frenchman took his Mitsubishi to the fastest time on the 370 kilometres from Bamako to Kayes in Mali, stretching his advantage over team-mate Luc Alphand by over four minutes.

“It was a good day for me,” said Peterhansel. “The stage was not very long. The beginning was very fast.

“After about 80km we arrived on a narrow track and then the end of the stage was fast. I started second, but after 120km I caught (Giniel) de Villiers and tried to pass him.

“I pushed hard to get passed and he lost control of his car and left the road. I took the stage lead and finished with a good speed.

“Tomorrow will be a long stage. It will be dusty. There will be a lot of trees and a river crossing. We will try and keep the rhythm, with just two long stages to go.”

Alphand, a former skiing champion, finished second on stage today but now lags 27 minutes 33 seconds behind Peterhansel.

Nissan driver de Villiers was third today but despite eating into Jutta Kleinschmidt’s third place advantage, he still trails the Volkswagen driver by nearly three hours.

The bike class resumed racing today after yesterday’s action was cancelled as a mark of respect to former winner Fabrizio Meoni, who was killed in a crash on Tuesday.

The riders set off wearing a black armband to show their grief and after a subdued stage, Andy Caldecott crossed the finish line first. David Fretigne was second with Chris Blais third.

The result had little bearing on the overall positions, with just 29 minutes covering the top 17 riders.

Cyril Despres holds a 16mins 6secs advantage over Marc Coma with Alfie Cox third.