Peterhansel storms into Dakar lead
PARIS, France -- Stephane Peterhansel stormed into the lead in the Dakar Rally after mechanical problems cost Mitsubishi team mate Hiroshi Masuoka over an hour.
The Frenchman, an early leader before collecting a five minute penalty, won the 355km eighth stage to lead Belgian Gregoire De Mevius' BMW by one hour four minutes and 38 seconds.
Masuoka slipped to third place previously occupied by Briton Colin McRae, who was forced to wait for assistance after suffering mechanical difficulties in his Nissan at 300kms.
It was not the only hold up in the desert for Masuoka, chasing his third successive Dakar triumph.
The Japanese revealed before the start of the run from Atar to Tidjikja that a Mauritanian army soldier had pointed a gun at him the previous day to demand money when he entered the country.
"He said: 'Stop and give me some money'. But I didn't give him anything and I took back my passport. It's the first time it's happened to me and I hope it will be the last," said Masuoka.
Germany's Jutta Kleinschmidt, the first woman to win the Dakar, was second fastest on Thursday but looked likely to be disqualified after starting with a replacement engine in her Volkswagen Touareg.
In the motorcycle category, Spain's Nani Roma took the overall lead from French rider Cyril Despres, who had a nightmare day.
Despres, who dropped to seventh place, lost his way in the desert after falling and accidentally unplugging his GPS positioning system. He then ran out of fuel.
"It was the worst day of my life," said Despres. "There are days when everything goes wrong."
Friday's ninth timed stage is 736km from Tidjikja to Nema in eastern Mauritania.
