Dakar Rally rookie claims stage win

Competitors race across the Uyuni salt flats during the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally 2015 between Uyuni, Bolivia, and Iquique, Chile. Photo / AP

Saudi Arabia's Dakar Rally rookie Yazeed Al-Rajhi claimed a maiden stage win in a spectacular sand dune finish in Iquique on Sunday to break Mini's stranglehold on this year's race.

As the Toyota driver celebrated his landmark day on the world's toughest rally, his Qatari rival Nasser Al-Attiyah did enough in his Mini in third to consolidate his position at the top of the driver standings.

The 2011 Dakar winner even gained a few seconds on his closest pursuer, South Africa's Giniel de Villiers (Toyota), who finished fourth.

Up to this win for Toyota, each stage had been claimed by one of the Minis. Sunday's 808km run, with 784km timed, took Al-Rajhi and the rest of the car competitors from Bolivia's salt flats in Uyuni to the vertiginous dunes of the Chilean Pacific coastal city of Iquique.

He covered the route in three hours, 26 minutes and 49 seconds, with Saturday's stage winner Orlando Terranova in second in his Mini, more than one minute behind.

Al-Attiyah, a further two-and-a-half minutes back in third, has an almost eight-and-a-half minute lead over de Villiers, who lost precious time in the final dunes in the approach to Iquique, in the race for the drivers' crown.

Al-Rajhi, who remains in contention for the drivers' title in third, 18min 40sec behind, said: "Today was a good day." The 33-year-old Dakar debutant added: "We drove fast and we had fun.

"The most difficult part was organising toilet stops! At such altitudes, just a sip of water makes you want to go ... The in-line start in Salar was great and carried out under good conditions.

"We didn't have the highest top speed, but we managed to catch up with the others. It was a bit like a game."

Terranova described the marathon stage as "an awesome experience".

Monday is the final rest day for the car drivers ahead of Saturday's finish in Buenos Aires. After Saturday's day off for motorcyclists, the 717km (321km timed) seventh stage, which took the two-wheeled competitors from Iquique to Uyuni, was won by Honda's Paulo Goncalves.

The Portuguese rider is third in the overall motorbike standings, 11 minutes behind his Spanish teammate Joan Barreda, with this pair separated by KTM's defending champion Marc Coma.

Coma, a four-time winner, is six minutes adrift.

-AAP