Rio de Janeiro: Nine-time world car rally champion Sebastien Loeb of France clinched the second stage of the Dakar Rally by holding off Qatari rival Nasser Al Attiyah.
Loeb took the Resistencia-Tucuman stage in two hours six minutes and 55 seconds in his Peugeot car, one minute and 23 seconds ahead of Toyota driver Al Attiyah on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.
Spain’s Carlos Sainz was third in his Peugeot, two minutes and 18 seconds behind Loeb.
Tuesday’s result lifted Loeb to the top of the overall standings, 28 seconds ahead of Al Attiyah. Sainz is third, one minute and 56 second behind.
The 2017 Dakar Rally will feature 12 stages, covering more than 9,000 km in Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina before ending in Buenos Aires on January 14.
Earlier, defending champion Toby Price won the second stage of the motorcycle category.
The 29-year-old Australian finished the 274km stage in two hours 37 minutes and 32 seconds.
His KTM teammate, Austria’s Matthias Walkner, was second, three minutes and 51 seconds behind, and Paulo Goncalves of Portugal was third, four minutes and six seconds off the pace.
