Pain for Sainz as De Villiers takes the lead
Spaniard Sainz, a former world rally champion, trails De Villiers by one minute and 39 seconds after coming home third as the rally passed from Zouerat to Atar.
De Villiers took the stage win, with France’s former winner Stephane Peterhansel second in the Mitsubishi.
De Villiers admitted the conditions had made racing difficult but he was relieved the special stage had been shortened as the support helicopters could not fly in some areas because of sandstorms.
He said: “This was a very difficult stage due to the lack of visibility. I’ve never experienced such a special stage. We drove blind without any point of reference.
“I was happy to hear that the stage was being shortened. We got a bit lost in the beginning but the rest went on okay. It is important not to get stranded in sand.”
Portuguese driver Carlos Sousa fell out with German co-driver Andreas Schulz after their VW was stuck on one of the dunes. Sousa drove off without Schulz but later waited for his co-driver, who had hitched a lift on one of the support vehicles, to catch up with him before resuming the day’s stage.
Frenchman Cyril Despres, on the Gauloises KTM, took the stage win in the motorcycle category from Norway’s Pal-Anders Ullevalseter (KTM) and Despres’ fellow Frenchman and teammate David Casteu.
Spaniard Marc Coma retained his overall lead on the Repsol KTM after finishing the stage in fifth.
Despres would have preferred the whole of the special stage to be run so he could make up more time.
He said: “Of course it was a great day, but my enthusiasm is a bit undermined. I gained 10 minutes back but I might have gained 10 more if the special stage had been run in full. So it’s a pity.”
Despres encountered problems in the soft sand of the dunes but believes the desert gives him a good chance of making up time.
“On the rims of the dunes the sand was very soft and I got stuck three times when coming down from the dunes, precisely where you are supposed to gather speed again,” he said.
“I still believe in my chances.”
British rider Mick Extance saw his Dakar Rally grind to a halt when his Honda broke down on stage six. He had finished consistently inside the top 40 on the first five days and was on course for a good overall finish when his Honda’s engine overheated 80km from the end of the stage.
Extance had been the top British rider in the event until his breakdown, which left him to spend a night in the freezing desert until the official ‘sweeper’ truck picked him up.
Dutchman Hans Stacey (MAN) took the stage seven win in the truck category and now leads by two hours and 16 minutes.
The competitors take the day off today before the rally continues tomorrow with a special stage of 589km as the route goes from Atar to Tichit.
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