Australian motorcyclist Daniel Sanders has improved his lead in the Dakar Rally, enjoying a ding-dong battle with reigning champion Ricky Brabec midway through the demanding 48-hour second stage.
On a day when the main drama featured defending car champion Carlos Sainz slipping nearly an hour off the pace after his car flipped in the Saudi Arabian dunes, Sanders was leading American Brabec on the separate, near-1000km motorcycle route which began early Sunday and finishes late Monday.
Having led by two minutes and four seconds going into the race's third day in Saudi Arabia, Sanders, on his Red Bull KTM, had seen the advantage increased by 40 seconds over his Honda rival when racing finished for the day in the early evening.
But later in the day, Brabec powered back, trimming the stage lead which had stood at over two minutes at one point on Sunday.
Botswanan Ross Branch, runner-up last year, lost time to lie third on the stage, nearly four minutes behind Sanders.
Saudi driver Yazeed Al Rajhi was leading the Ultimate car race at the rest stop north of Bisha, holding a 79-second stage lead over five-time champion Nasser Al-Attiyah.
Sainz had been within five minutes of the leaders after more than 200km but his Ford Raptor turned upside down in the dunes at 327km.
Teammate Mitch Guthrie helped Sainz right the car after 20 minutes but broken rear parts were left behind and the Spaniard limped to the rest area at 620km, more than 59 minutes behind.
Toby Price, who Sanders is trying to emulate as the second Australian winner in 47 editions of the Dakar, is making a good fist of his new challenge in the cars category, lying seventh on the stage in his Toyota Hilux and looking to move into the top-five overall by Monday evening.
Another title contender who suffered a tough day was Sebastien Loeb, who won this stage last year. The Frenchman broke down with fan issues at 409km and arrived more than 32 minutes back.
With Reuters
