Masuoka takes fifth stage of Dakar Rally

REIGNING champion Hiroshi Masuoka won yesterday’s fifth stage of the Dakar Rally in Tunisia to snatch the overall lead of the event from Stephane Peterhansel.

The Japanese driver completed yesterday’s 285-kilometre special stage in two hours 31 minutes 59 seconds to haul in fellow Mitsubishi driver Peterhansel and establish a lead of 55 seconds.

Peterhansel clocked the second quickest time of the day, just over two minutes adrift of Masuoka, as the two pacesetters blazed a trail in the desert, with Kenjiro Shinozuka eight minutes off the pace in third as he moved into the overall podium places.

Masuoka insisted he had tried nothing special yesterday.

“Today I drove normally, nothing too hard,” he said. “We started seventh on the road and I passed five cars. In some places it was very fast and there were some small dunes and it was a little bumpy.

“It is just the beginning of the rally now so we must be patient.”

Peterhansel, who has won the motorcycle category of the event six times, admitted he had not been pushing as hard as he could.

Richard Sainct extended his lead in the bike category with victory on the stage between Tozeur and El Borma.

Sainct was 17 seconds quicker than Fabrizio Meoni, who moves into second place overall after leapfrogging Joan Roma.

Britain’s Patsy Quick continues to lead the women’s section and sits 116th overall.

Tomorrow sees another long stage through the African desert as the competitors travel from El Borma to Ghadames, crossing the border from Tunisia to Libya in the process.