You may have noticed there was no Dakar review yesterday. This was because the organisers had to cancel the stage due to fog. The stage could not be re-routed as it crossed the Andes.

BUT, the big news today is, we have a new leader! Giniel de Villiers has taken the lead after team-mate, Carlos Sainz crashed into a ravine, just 79km’s into the stage. Sainz’s co-driver Michel Perin was injured with a shoulder injury, forcing the pair to retire. The drivers reported it was a very tough day with all the leading competitors having problems, not helped by a poor road-book.

Robbie Gordon continues his push up the leaderboard and is now in 3rd position, benefitting from mechanical problems with Nani Roma’s Mitsubishi Lancer. Roma has dropped to sixth.

Just three stages are left in the event.

Overall positions:

Pos Driver Car Time 1.  Giniel de Villiers   Volkswagen   43h46:58 2.  Mark Miller          Volkswagen  +    2:35 3.  Robby Gordon         Hummer      + 1h18:52 4.  Ivar Erik Tollefsen  Nissan      + 5h48:21 5.  Krzysztof Holowczyc  Nissan      + 6h44:42 6.  Nani Roma            Mitsubishi  + 7h41:36 7.  Dieter Depping       Volkswagen  + 8h33:23 8.  Miroslav Zapletal    Mitsubishi  +10h49:36 9.  Leonid Novitskiy     BMW         +13h19:06 10. Rene Kuipers         BMW         +14h32:16