Loeb fires broadside with second stage win

Sebastien Loeb's sensational Dakar Rally debut continued on Tuesday when he topped the podium for the second time in two days with victory in the third stage of the gruelling two-week rally-raid.

France's nine-time world rally champion, driving a Peugeot, clocked 2hr 9min 39sec over 190km between the Argentinian towns of Termas de Rio Hondo and San Salvador de Jujuy to consolidate his place atop the overall standings.

Mini-driving defending champion Nasser al-Attiyah of Qatar sits in fifth place overall, 6min 50sec adrift of Loeb, and just behind the Mini of Finland's Mikko Hirvonen, Loeb's former WRC rival who is also making his race debut.

"It seems that the times will be very close between the drivers," said the 41-year-old Loeb, adding that the desert stages would be a real test.

"I pushed hard and I had a good stage with no mistakes. Everything is ok at the moment."

Loeb, who has been racing in the World Touring Car Championship since effectively retiring from WRC rallying after the last of his nine consecutive world titles in 2012, added: "For the moment, for sure, I'm enjoying it. It has been two good days for me.

"The car is going very well. I have a good feeling with the car. It's performing well so at the moment I'm enjoying it," said the Frenchman, who spent his illustrious WRC career at the wheel of a Citroen.

"At the moment we are on tracks... so I've got a good feeling on this type of road. But when we go to the desert it will be different, with long and hot stages. That is something that I don't know very well, so we will see.

"We will continue for the moment and I'll try to do my best and we'll see where we are in a few days," said Loeb, accompanied by long-time co-driver and fellow rally-raid novice Daniel Elena.

Argentina's Kevin Benavides, on a Honda, won the motorcycle section of the stage, shortened because of bad weather, after the initial winner Joan Barreda Bort was handed a one-minute penalty for speeding.

That bumped the Spanish Honda rider down to fifth on the stage, with Portugal's Paulo Goncalves (Honda) and Frenchman Antoine Meo (KTM) moving up to second and third respectively.

Source: AFP