Dakar: Peterhansel wins again

The Mitsubishi driver, an eight-time Dakar winner, took a commanding win in today's seventh special, a stage where navigational skills were crucial and in which several drivers struggled to find the right track at the start.

The day proved very positive for Mitsubishi, winners of the last five editions, with Luc Alphand completing a one-two finish in the stage after trailing Peterhansel by four minutes and 23 seconds.

The Japanese manufacturer also moved to the top of the standings with Alphand, who jumped from fifth to first, leapfrogging a trio of Volkswagens and Jean-Louise Schlesser in his buggy.

Thanks to today's victory, Peterhansel is now second in the overall standings, over three minutes behind his teammate.

Volkswagen had a poor day over the Mauritanian dunes and only Jutta Kleinschmidt escaped serious problems to finish in third place over 11 minutes behind Peterhansel.

The 2001 winner is now the first Volkswagen driver in the standings ahead of South African Giniel de Villiers, who lost the lead of the event after coming home in fourth place today.

Dakar debutant Carlos Sainz, who yesterday lost the lead of the event after a puncture, hit more trouble in today's stage, losing a lot of time after his Volkswagen Touareg was stuck in the sand for nearly 30 minutes before the first control point.

The Spanish driver, winner of three specials, finished the stage in sixth position and has dropped from second to fifth in the standings, over half an hour behind Alphand.

Frenchman Bruno Saby, who was lying in sixth place after yesterday's stage, also endured a trouble day, stopping twice to solve mechanical problems in another Touareg, once before the first control point and then 20 kms from the second.

Tomorrow's 568-km stage from Atar to Nouakchott, still in Mauritania, includes a 508 km special, with windy route crosses canyons and wadis at the start and a high speed stretch in the final part.

Stage 7 standings:

Pos  Driver                             Make            Time
 1.  Stephane Peterhansel (France)      Mitsubishi      5:52.18
 2.  Luc Alphand (France)               Mitsubishi      5:56.41
 3.  Jutta Kleinschmidt (Germany)       Volkswagen      6:04.07
 4.  Giniel de Villiers (South Africa)  Volkswagen      6:08.47
 5.  Nasser Al Attiyah (Qatar)          BMW             6:25.30
 6.  Carlos Sainz (Spain)               Volkswagen      6:27.02
 7.  Nani Roma (Spain)                  Mitsubishi      6:33.01
 8.  Jean-Louis Schlesser (France)      Schlesser-Ford  7:06.42
 9.  Thierry Magnaldi (France)          Schlesser-Ford  7:34:17
10.  Guerlain Chicherit (France)        BMW             7:37:11

Overall standings after stage 7:

Pos  Driver                             Make            Time
 1.  Luc Alphand (France)               Mitsubishi      22:32.41
 2.  Stephane Peterhansel (France)      Mitsubishi      22:35.53
 3.  Jutta Kleinschmidt (Germany)       Volkswagen      22:38.39
 4.  Giniel de Villiers (South Africa)  Volkswagen      22:42.45
 5.  Carlos Sainz (Spain)               Volkswagen      23:01.22
 6.  Nani Roma (Spain)                  Mitsubishi      23:18.25
 7.  Jean-Louis Schlesser (France)      Schlesser-Ford  23:41.42
 8.  Thierry Magnaldi (France)          Schlesser-Ford  24:16:25
 9.  Guerlain Chicherit (France)        BMW             25:18:19
10.  Carlos Sousa (Portugal)            Nissan          25:18:19