Stephane Peterhansel is the new leader in the car category of the 2018 Dakar Rally, but the Peugeot 3008 DKR driver is under attack from the Toyota Hilux of Nasser Al-Attiyah. Sam Sunderland now leads the bike class for KTM, while Eduard Nikolaev is holding sway among the truck class for Kamaz at the end of the third leg of the rally.
The factory Peugeot squad comprising of some of the most legendary Dakar Rally participants seems to be holding sway at the end of the 502km run (with 295km of timed stages) from Pisco to San Juan de Marcona. Leading entitles you to some bragging rights, although being a multiple winner on bikes and cars – something that Peterhansel managed before joining Peugeot – perhaps already puts one at the top of the pecking order.
The Frenchman leads his compatriot and teammate Cyril Despres, while Sebastien Loeb is ranked fourth overall in his Peugeot ahead of fifth placed Giniel De Villiers' Toyota Hilux. In third place and the winner of the third leg is Nasser Al-Attiyah, who tore through the dunescape in an effort to not let the French squad get out of striking distance.
A lot can happen in the remaining eleven stages as all of these very experienced drivers are aware of, having been through many tribulations in their past Dakar Rally attempts.
Nothing illustrated this better than the heavy crash suffered by Nani Roma, causing the MINI driver to suffer injuries to both his neck and head, putting him out of the event but seemingly stable.
Peugeot's Carlos Sainz is sixth overall, followed by Toyota's Bernhard Ten Brinke, MINI's Orlando Terranova, who almost rolled over at the top of a dune, Ford's Martin Prokop and a privately entered Peugeot 2008 DKR of Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi.
SUNDERLAND THE BOSS ON TWO WHEELS
Defending Dakar Rally champion Sam Sunderland took over the top spot among the bike category after Honda's Joan Barreda Bort had navigation issues that caused him to drop down to 14th overall, almost 23 minutes behind Sunderland's KTM.
Another Honda rider, Kevin Benavides, managed to keep the Japanese manufacturer represented in the top three as he lies just over four and a half minutes behind Sunderland but only 22 seconds ahead of Husqvarna's Pablo Quintanilla.
KTM's Toby Price, who missed last year's event due to injury, is fourth overall ahead of Honda's Ricky Brabec and KTM's Matthias Walkner. The highest placed Yamaha rider is Adrien Van Beveren ahead of KTM's Antoine Meo.
Two more Yamahas – of Franco Cami and Xavier De Soultrait – complete the top ten among the two wheelers.
NIKOLAEV HOLDS SWAY AMONG TRUCKS
Eduard Nikolaev of Russia is the overall leader in the truck class in his Kamaz ahead of IVECO's Federico Villagra and MAZ's two Belarusian drivers Aliaksei Vishneuski and Siarhei Viazovich.
Liaz's Martin Macik is fifth ahead of Renault's Martin Van Den Brink, Tatra's Ales Loprais, IVECO's Ton Van Genugten, Hino's Teruhito Sugawara and Dmitry Sotnikov's Kamaz.
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