Al-Attiyah Hits Trouble on Dakar Rally Stage 4

Chilecito, Argentina, January 05 (QNA) - Qatar's defending victor Nasser Al-Attiyah fell to seventh overall in Dakar Rally Stage 4 after his Hummer broke down after 288km of the stage and only got going again after a 15-minute stop. "Towards the end of the special, we got stuck in the mud and it took us a long time to get out of it," Al-Attiyah said, according to the Dakar Rally site. "But the race is not over yet and we will try to do our best over the next ten days. I am starting to get the feel of my car. This morning we were moving at a great pace, setting the best times without pushing too hard. We actually overtook two of the Minis... So we will see what we can do." Nine-time champion Stephane Peterhansel moved into first place in the Rally with a victory in the fourth stage. The French driver, racing in a Mini, completed the 202-mile special stage in 3 hours, 49 minutes, 33 seconds. Peterhansel has won six times on motorbikes, and three in cars. In bikes, defending champion Marc Coma of Spain won the special stage in northwestern Argentina, but the overall lead went to his KTM teammate Cyril Despres of France. (QNA)