Dakar Rally: Nasser Al-Attiyah's lead shrinks amid sickness

In a change to the format for 2015, competitors have to do without their service crews and assistance trucks for the middle weekend, carrying only three spare tyres with them for Saturday's 199-mile run from Iquique to Uyuni and Sunday's follow-up 317-mile route back to Iquique, where the rest day will take place on Monday.

The punishing seventh stage took place partly at 3,500 metres above sea level, and rally leader Al-Attiyah was only seventh fastest after having to stop several times due to altitude sickness.

His pursuer de Villiers' Imperial Toyota was only one place ahead of the WRC2 champion's X-raid Mini in the Saturday results, but was three minutes quicker - bringing Al-Attiyah's overall lead down to eight minutes.

While Terranova, heavily delayed by incidents in the opening days and long since out of contention, took the stage win, Yazeed Al-Rajhi edged out Bernhard Ten Brinke and Krzysztof Holowczyc for second in the times, cementing Al-Rajhi's third place overall.

Peugeot's best remaining runner Stephane Peterhansel was second fastest for much of the stage before losing time as a storm hit. He ended up eighth in Saturday's times and is now back up to the same place overall.

LEADING STAGE SEVEN TIMES:

LEADING OVERALL STANDINGS AFTER STAGE SEVEN: