SALTA (Argentina): Defending champion Stephane Peterhansel drove to victory on the sixth stage of the Dakar Rally on Friday, but the race was overshadowed by the deaths of a motorcyclist, who was a father of five, and two journalists following the event.
Peterhansel, six times a champion in the motorcycle section and with five titles on four wheels, finished 2min 43sec ahead of Qatar’s 2011 champion Nasser Al-Attiyah and 5min 20sec in front of Argentina’s Orlando Terranova on the 400km timed run from Tucuman to Salta.
Spain’s Nani Roma, in another Mini, was sixth on the day and retained the overall lead. Roma has a large lead of 30 minutes, 30 seconds over Terranova, and 40:54 ahead of Peterhansel.
French rider Alain Duclos, on a Sherco, beat overall motorcycling leader Marc Coma by 75 seconds, but celebrations were muted after it was revealed that the 9,374km race, which crosses Argentina, Chile and Bolivia, had claimed three more lives.
Belgian motorcyclist Eric Palante, riding for the Honda team, died on Thursday’s fifth stage between Chilecito and Tucuman.
Race organisers said the 50-year-old’s body was found by officials at around 0830 local time at the 143km mark after he failed to finish the fifth stage.
Police said two people following the race died on Thursday when their vehicle overturned in rough terrain in northern Argentina.
Police identified the pair on Friday as Agustin Ignacio Mina, 19, and Daniel Eduardo Ambrosio, 51. Officials said Mina was covering the rally for a motor racing magazine, and they identified Ambrosio as a fan of motor sports.—Agencies