Mini driver Nasser Al-Attiyah took the honours in the Dakar Rally's eighth stage which crossed through the Andes from Bolivia into Chile on Monday, ahead of 11-times winner Stephane Peterhansel.
Carlos Sainz, winner of Stages four and seven, took third in the 302km timed run from the Bolivian town of Uyuni to Calama.
Spanish driver Nani Roma was sixth, retaining a 24 minute advantage over Peterhansel with South African Giniel De Villiers third in the works Toyota r .
Al-Attiyah, who won the race in 2011, is fifth overall, 65 minutes adrift, the bulk of that deficit coming from a one hour penalty he picked up for missing a waypoint on last week's fifth stage.
“I'm still a bit disappointed about the penalty.”
But Al-Attiyah, who also won a bronze medal for skeet shooting at the 2012 London Olympics, added: “Now we will try to push and make a really better time every day.”
Peterhansel said he'd found it difficult to keep tabs during the stage on Al-Attiyah and Sainz.
“That said, in the end it's not such a bad result at all, because Nani Roma had two punctures so we've gained some time back and have put some pressure on him,” he added.
“It's never easy to be in the lead, I know all about it, and being in front for Nani is an extra bit of pressure. Behind him, we have nothing to lose...”
MOTORCYCLES
French veteran Cyril Despres, a five time winner of the toughest challenge in motorsport, emerged the winner as the 2014 Dakar Rally paid its first visit to Chile after stages in Argentina and Bolivia.
He was followed across the line by Spanish pair Joan Barreda (Honda) and Marc Coma (KTM).
Despite claiming this 499km stage the Yamaha rider and defending champion was still way off the pace in the overall standings, almost two and a half hours behind Coma. -AFP
RESULTS – CARS: Stage 8
1 Nasser Al-Attiyah (Qatar) Mini – 2hrs 32min57
2 Stephane Peterhansel (France) Mini +1min12
3 Carlos Sainz (Spain) SMG +2min36
4 Orlando Terranova (Argentina) Mini +6min40
5 Krzysztof Holowczyc (Poland) Mini +7min49
6 Nani Roma (Spain) Mini +9min19
7 Giniel De Villiers (South Africa) Toyota +9min21
8 Vladimir Vasilyev (Russia) Mini +11min59
9 Bernhard Ten Brinke (Netherklands) HRX +13min07
10 Christian Lavieille (France) Haval +16min56
RESULTS – CARS: Overall after Stage 8
1 Nani Roma (Spain) Mini - 29hrs 46min08
2 Stephane Peterhansel (France) Mini +23min46
3 Giniel De Villiers (South Africa) Toyota +48min25
4 Orlando Terranova (Argentina) Mini +51min55
5 Nasser Al-Attiyah (Qatar) Mini +1hr 09min05
6 Carlos Sainz (Spain) SMG +1hr 43min59
7 Krzysztof Holowczyc (Poland) Mini +2hrs 29min22
8 Christian Lavieille (France) Haval +3hrs 14min43
9 Adam Malysz (Poland) Toyota +3hrs 27min35
10 Guilherme Spinelli (Brazil) Mitsubishi +4hrs 05min16
RESULTS – MOTORCYCLES: Stage 8
1 Cyril Despres (France) Yamaha +5hrs 23min20
2 Joan Barreda Bort (Spain) Honda +2min09
3 Marc Coma (Spain) KTM +2min15
4 Helder Rodriguez (Portugal) Honda +6min38
5 Olivier Pain (France) Yamaha +10min40
6 Michael Metge (France) Yamaha +12min58
7 Riaan Van Niekerek (South Africa) KTM +13min15
8 Daniel Gouet (Chile) Honda) +13min23
9 Kuba Przygonski (Poland) KTM +13min29
10 Jordi Viladoms (Spain) KTM) +13min34
RESULTS – MOTORCYCLES: Overall after Stage 8
1 Marc Coma (Spain) KTM - 32hrs 06min19
2 Joan Barreda Bort (Spain) Honda +38min08
3 Jordi Viladoms (Spain) KTM +1hr 27min22
4 Alain Duclos (France) Sherco +1hr 49min09
5 Jeremías Israel (Chile) Speedbrain +1hr 52min05
6 Olivier Pain (France) Yamaha +1hr 59min07
7 Kuba Przygonski (Poland) KTM +2hrs 6min06
8 Helder Rodriguez (Portugal) Honda +2hrs 12min41
9 Cyril Despres (France) Yamaha +2hrs 23min58
10 Daniel Gouet (Chile) Honda +2hrs 38min51