MotorSportWorld.TV

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Source: sbs.com.au

Sainz crossed the line with a 1min 03sec advantage over Qatari teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah, with French veteran and multiple champion Stephane Peterhansel 1min 34sec adrift in his BMW.

Double rally world champion Sainz moved his overall lead over Peterhansel to 3:05 with last year's runner-up Al-Attiyah third at 3:19 as the drivers head for the third stage - a 500km special stage from San Miguel de Tucuman to San Salvador de Jujuy.

“It was a difficult stage to tackle again and I had windscreen wiper problems again – they wouldn’t work properly," said Sainz.

"For a dozen kilometres, I couldn’t see a thing and I had to drive very slowly. I’m very disappointed. I’ve probably lost a lot of time. I don’t understand why we still have this problem, because the mechanics checked everything yesterday. Overall, though, this stage suited me rather well”.

For Peterhansel it was important to stay out of trouble and keep pace with the technically proficient Sainz before making a move.

“It was a stage with everything again. A very technical special, but very nice to drive. It isn’t easy to try and follow Sainz’s pace. It’s easy to be surprised by the tight bends, and there were a lot of them. But that’s motorsport," said the Frenchman.

"Everyone can have problems. Last year we had our fair share. I hope that this year we’ll manage to avoid them. In any case, you can see that on these very technical stages, Carlos is slightly quicker than us and we’ll perhaps have to wait until the desert to find a chink in his armour”.

As Sainz again showed his form, three-time motorbikes champion Cyril Despres also claimed victory in his section's 300km second stage. Despres finished 1min 49sec ahead of fellow KTM rider Marc Coma of Spain with compatriot David Casteu of Sherco in third.

The title-holder cemented his place at the top of the overall standings with a second consecutive victory after teammate Ruben Faria who had won Sunday's first stage was handed a one minute penalty for breaking the speed limit in a controlled zone.

Despres managed to stay in front from start to finish to claim his 25th stage win in the Dakar Rally, and only the third time that he has won when opening the road.

“Today the track was full of bends and very skiddy, like a 300-km giant slalom with jumps, like skiing. I noticed at the refuelling point that I’d taken almost a minute less than Coma. I was feeling good, so I decided to attack a bit in the second part, though I was careful to look after my tyres because I nearly wore them through today," said Despres.

"The most important thing is to find a god pace and have the right feeling. For the moment, the riding demands a lot of concentration”.

In the overall standings, Despres leads two-time champion Coma by 2min 35sec with Portugal's Faria third at 6:13.

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