Nasser Al Attiyah takes overall lead at Dakar Rally in Argentina

Driving a Mini, Al Attiyah had claimed victory on Sunday only to be stripped of his success for speed­ing – clocking 68kmph in a section limited to 50kmph – and earning a two-minute penalty that saw him relegated to seventh place.

But the Qatari, the 2011 cham­pion, put on a masterful display yesterday to finish eight-and-a-half minutes clear of South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers to take the overall lead following the 518km stage from Villa Carlos Paz to San Juan.

“We won the stage. This was a big thing today. We studied the stage very well. We need to work every day and take it day by day. There’s still a long way to go,” Al Attiyah said.

De Villiers’ Toyota team-mate Bernhard Ten Brinke was second at more than 10 minutes behind and those two now hold the same posi­tions in the overall standings.

Veteran Peugeot drivers Carlos Sainz and Stephane Peterhansel, both former winners, struggled for the second day in a row, the first losing more than 26 minutes and the second much further behind.

Defending champion Nani Roma is already out of contention after the Spaniard broke down in his Mini on Sunday and had to be towed home, losing more than six hours.

In the motorbike section, Spain’s Joan Barreda Bort also moved into the overall lead by taking victory on the second stage.

He finished 6min 13sec ahead of his Honda teammate Paulo Gon­calves with fellow Spaniard Ruben Faria third on a KTM at 9min 16sec.

Reigning champion Marc Coma, another Spaniard riding a KTM, finished eighth at more than 12min and is now down in sixth place at a similar distance overall.

Briton Sam Sunderland, who won Sunday’s opening stage, got lost and didn’t finish amongst the top 50 on Monday.

This year’s rally features a gruelling 9,000km trek through Argentina, Chile and Bolivia before arriving back in Buenos Aires for a January 17 finish.