Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel wins 2016 Dakar Rally

Former World Rally Champion Mikko Hirvonen has notched up his maiden Dakar Rally stage win while overall leader Stephane Peterhansel continued to cruise to a 12th win at the prestigious ultra-endurance event.

The Hunter Valley sensation was sublime in victory following his third place in last year’s edition of Dakar at his first attempt.

Nasser Al-Attiyah, victor in 2015, took Stage 11 of the Dakar Rally on Thursday, run in blistering heat that made the going extra tough for the motorcycle competitors.

Toby Price took first place in the motorcycle category on his KTM 450 with a time of 48:09.15s.

Price, 28, is poised to claim his first Dakar victory in Rosario on Saturday with the KTM rider holding a 37min 39sec advantage on his Slovak teammate Stefan Svitko while the Chilean Pablo Quintanilla of Husqvarna lies third at 53min 10sec.

“I’m in shock, I never would’ve thought I could win this race in my second participation”, Price said.

“This is incredible for my family, my friends and my fans back in Australia! I don’t think that I will be able to pass Giniel by my own effort but everything can happen”.

“Finishing the rally is already a triumph. I’ve had some good experiences like that, but also some bad experiences”. “It won’t be easy, so I’ve got to savour this victory”. WRC legend, Sebastien Loeb meanwhile, came in ninth despite being the fastest driver in Stage 13. More than an hour behind Al-Attiyah was Toyota’s Geniel de Villiers, who had to settle for third.

Peterhansel found it hard to hide his emotion after feeling extreme pressure in the closing stages. Honda’s Kevin Benavides rounded off the top three, Stage 11 victor Antoine Meo was the biggest loser of the day after falling off his bike with only 20 km left to the finish.