Paris-Dakar: Servia excels after rest day

The Spaniard crossed the stage finish line in his Schlesser buggy an impressive 19 minutes clear of Mitsubishi driver Jutta Kleinschmidt.

The day's biggest losers were rally leader Hiroshi Masuoka and reigning Paris-Dakar champion Jean-Louis Schlesser. Masuoka in his Mitsubishi could only manage ninth on the stage, while Frenchman Schlesser, suffering from suspension problems, was tenth. Masuoka still retains the overall lead of the rally, but his advantage is now down to 12 minutes, with German Kleinschmidt and Carlos Sousa pressing the Japanese driver hard.

Despite yesterday being a rest day, there were still developments that could affect the outcome of the rally. Organisers discovered that the top nine drivers had strayed too far off course on the ninth stage and penalties of between 10 and 30 minutes were dished out. Kleinschmidt was the biggest loser, dropping two places down to fourth overall, but her second place today meant that she retook that position.

Saturday's proceedings, a 580km timed section between Nouakchott and Tidjikja, is the fifth of Mauritania's eight stages. And while the first part of the day is relatively straightforward, the second half is a little more challenging, as the route takes drivers across large sand dunes where sound navigating skills are essential.


1 JM Servia, Schlesser
2 J Kleinschmidt, Mitsubishi
3 S Henard, Volkswagen
4 JP Fontenay, Mitsubishi
5 C Sousa, Mitsubishi


1 H Masuoka, Mitsubishi, 34h 23m 24s
2 J Kleinschmidt, Mitsubishi, 34h 35m 33s
3 C Sousa, Mitsubishi, 34m 36h 37m 13s
4 JL Schlesser, Schlesser, 35h 02m 44s
5 JM Servia, Schlesser, 35h 14m 14s