Sainz wins stage to keep Al-Attiyah at bay

Published on Tuesday 6 January 2009 22:12

CARLOS Sainz underlined his status as favourite for the Dakar Rally title with victory in the fourth stage of the race.

The Spaniard completed the 488-kilometre stage between Ingeniero Jacobacci and Neuquen in Argentina in 3hr 42min 57sec, six seconds better than Qatari racer Nasser Al-Attiyah, who is 3min 46sec behind Sainz in the overall standings.

"We started very well and very quickly," said Volkswagen racer Sainz. "We soon caught up with Nasser Al-Attiyah. When he realised it was us, he counter- attacked and we both continued to race at a very speedy pace, until I was able to overtake on an off-track section.

"However, just afterwards, I started losing air from a tyre. I had to stop and pump it back up, because it wasn't a flat tyre, just a slow puncture."

Frenchman Luc Alphand (Mitsubishi) finished in third position, 1.17 behind Sainz, to climb up to eighth overall.

Marc Coma (KTM) seems unstoppable among the motorbikes as he celebrated his third victory out of four special stages. He crossed the line in 4:09.32, but the standout performer was arguably title-holder Cyril Despres, who managed to complete the stage in second place, 1min 17sec behind Coma, after suffering a number of tyre problems in the previous stages.

Argentine dust, rather than the traditional African sand, has been an added obstacle on the terrain. A persistent drought has turned massive amounts of soil to dust, forcing drivers to navigate through clouds of brown dirt. Cars, trucks and motorbikes have often disappeared behind dust, spraying thousands of fans who have gathered to watch along the route, now passing through isolated towns and villages in southern Argentina.

British driver Paul Green and his co-driver Matthew Harrison both remain in a serious condition in hospital following their accident in the first stage. The Team Desert Xarrior duo were hurt on Saturday when their Rally Raid UK car flipped over in the city of Trenque Lauquen.