BBC SPORT | Motorsport | Peterhansel powers ahead

Dakar Rally (stage 12)

Stephane Peterhansel won the 12th stage of the Dakar Rally on Tuesday to extend his overall lead to more than 24 minutes.

The Frenchman won the 445-km stage, a circuit over the highest dunes in Egypt, in three hours, four minutes, 17 seconds.

He crossed the line almost eight minutes ahead of Mitsubishi team-mate Hiroshi Masuoka, who is also second overall.

Frenchman Jean-Pierre Fontenay, another Mitsubishi driver, was third.

Tragedy mars Dakar Rally

Peterhansel takes a lead of 24:18 seconds into Wednesday's stage across the 'great sand sea' of dunes, some of which are more than 100m high.

Italy's Giovani Sala won the motorbikes category in 3:41:14, closely followed by Pal Anders Ullevalseter, who finished eight seconds behind him.

Slovakia's Miran Stanovnik was third, one minute behind the Norwegian.

Richard Sainct could only manage an 11th place finish and his overall lead was cut by two minutes to 10:48 over French compatriot Cyril Despres.

Stage 12 results:

Cars:
1. Stephane Peterhansel (France) Mitsubishi three hours four minutes and 17 seconds
2. Hiroshi Masuoka (Japan) Mitsubishi seven minutes 46 seconds behind
3. Jean-Pierre Fontenay (France) Mitsubishi 16.45
4. Miki Biasion (Italy) Mitsubishi 18.35
5. Ginie De Villiers (South Africa) Nissan 22.28
6. Carlos Sousa (Portugal) Mitsubishi 22.47
7. Luc Alphand (France) BMW 24.02
8. Ari Vatanen (Finland) Nissan 25.08
9. Jutta Kleinschmidt (Germany) Volkswagen 25.53
10. Stephane Henrard (Belgium) Volkswagen 31.37

Leading overall standings:
1. Peterhansel 30 hours 58 minutes 30 seconds
2. Masuoka 24 minutes 18 seconds behind
3. Fontenay 2:25.45
4. Biasion 2:38.03
5. Sousa 2:51.45

Motorbikes:
1. Giovani Sala (Italy) three hours 41 minutes 14 seconds
2. Pal Anders Ullevalseter (Norway) eight seconds behind
3. Miran Stanovnik (Slovenia) one minute eight seconds behind
4. Marek Dabrowski (Poland) 1.34
5. Alain Duclos (France) 2.33
6. Jose Manuel Pellicer (Spain) 3.09
7. Cyril Despres (France) 5.42
8. Jacek Czachor (Poland) 6.02
9. Jean De Azevedo (Brazil) 7.02
10. Marc Coma (Spain) 7.12

Leading overall standings:
1. Richard Sainct (France) 35 hours nine minutes 47 seconds
2. Despres 10 minutes 48 seconds behind
3. Fabrizio Meoni (Italy) 30.00
4. Jean Brucy (France) 57.14
5. De Azevedo 1:04.16


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