Ouarzazate, Morocco: Qatar's Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and French co-driver Alain Guehennec continued their steady climb up the leaderboard of the 2006 Dakar Rally and now hold seventh place in the overall standings.

But it could have been so much better for the Qatari driver.

Al Attiyah had been the fastest of all the teams through the first passage control, with the Qatari holding a 17-second advantage over Frenchman Bruno Saby. He extended his advantage into PC2, beating former WRC champion Carlos Sainz by 54 seconds and yesterday's stage winner Jean-Louis Schlesser by over 10 minutes.

He was eventually slowed near the finish of the stage with a minor problem and slipped to seventh fastest to move up to seventh overall.

"It was so frustrating on Monday," said Al Attiyah. "I was not able to push too hard because of the dust and then we had this problem with the jack working its way loose and I had to slow down. It meant that I lost some time at the end of the stage and that is why I started so far down today.

"This morning was perfect - a beautiful stage for me and I decided to have a small attack - no risks just smooth driving. Now I feel confident. The car feels fantastic. I am very happy."

Spaniard Carlos Sainz is now the overall leader of the Dakar Rally after the fourth stage and the second in Morocco. He regained the lead after taking his third fastest time. Volkswagens hold three of the first four places.

The Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart team endured mixed fortunes on the 386 kims special stage between Er Rachidia and Ouarzazate in Morocco.

Team drivers Luc Alphand, Joan 'Nani' Roma and Stéphane Peterhansel completed the timed section in third, 10th and 11th positions and now hold fourth, ninth, and 11th in the overall classification. The French duo of Luc Alphand and Gilles Picard were fifth through PC1, as they attempted to climb back up the leaderboard after a cautious run on Monday. They finished the stage in third position, behind Spaniard Carlos Sainz and Frenchman Thierry Magnaldi, with Sainz regaining the overall lead.

Overnight leaders Joan 'Nani' Roma and Henri Magne started the stage in sixth place on the road and finished the section in 10th position. They slipped to ninth place on the leaderboard.

Defending champions Stéphane Peterhansel and co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret held seventh place through the first passage control, but had slipped 27 minutes behind the stage leader after the second passage control.

Peterhansel recovered some of the lost time over the closing kilometers and finished the stage 18m 24s behind the winner.

Positions

1. Carlos Sainz (E)/Andreas Schulz (D) Volkswagen Touareg 3h 52m 48s

2. Thierry Magnaldi (F)/Arnaud Debron (F) Schlesser Buggy 3h 54m 48s

3. Luc Alphand (F)/Gilles Picard (F) Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution 3h 55m 58s

4. Giniel de Villiers (ZA)/Tina Thörner (S) Volkswagen Touareg 3h 56m 04s

5. Bruno Saby (F)/Michel Périn (F) Volkswagen Touareg 3h 57m 41s

6. Jutta Kleinschmidt (D)/Fabrizia Pons (I) Volkswagen Touareg 3h 57m 56s

7. Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah (QA)/Alain Guehennec (F) BMW X3 CC 3h 58m 19s.