Atar, Mauritania: The Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart Team leapt into contention to retain their Dakar Rally title for the sixth successive time, when Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel and co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret set the fastest time on the gruelling special stage between Zouérat and Atar in Mauritania.

Team mates Luc Alphand and Gilles Picard moved into the overall lead after setting the second fastest time yesterday.

The defending champions were fastest through the opening passage control and maintained their momentum through the gruelling latter part of the first all-desert stage to leap from ninth to second overall 3m 12s behind their team mates.

The French pairing of Alphand and Gilles Picard began the day in fifth place and pushed home the Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart team's supremacy in the desert by moving into the overall lead, 5m 58s ahead of their nearest non-Mitsubishi rivals.

Qatar's Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and French co-driver Alain Guehennec began the morning's stage in 14th position on the road, sandwiched between French veteran racing driver Hanri Pescarolo and Phillipe Gache. Al Attiyah was classified 30th in the overall standings, after the sterling work carried out by the X-Raid mechanics to repair his engine in Tan Tan.

But Al Attiyah was soon in trouble once again, along with several of the leading teams including Jean-Louis Schlesser and Giniel de Villiers, when he took the wrong route in an area of tricky navigation and reached the first passage control in 36th position, 90 minutes behind the leader Peterhansel.

Today is the final special stage before tomorrow's rest day at the windy coastal city of Nouakchott, Mauritanian's commercial capital. A 34 kms liaison takes crews southwest from Atar to the start of a 508 kms special across western Mauritania.

Positions

SS7 (unofficial):

1. Stéphane Peterhansel (F)/Jean-Paul Cottret (F) Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution 5h 52m 18s

2. Luc Alphand (F)/Gilles Picard (F) Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution 5h 58m 41s

3. Jutta Kleinschmidt (D)/Fabrizia Pons (I) Volkswagen Touareg 6h 04m 07s

4. Giniel de Villiers (ZA)/Tina Thörner (S) Volkswagen Touareg 6h 08m 47s.