ANTOFAGASTA, Chile (AP) — Nasser Al-Attiyah won the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally Sunday, edging teammate and defending champion Carlos Sainz and fellow Volkswagen driver Giniel de Villiers.
Sainz retained a narrow overall lead, 1 minute, 22 seconds ahead of Al-Attiyah and 21:11 ahead of Stephane Peterhansel in a BMW.
In the bikes category, Francisco Lopez Contardo of Chile won the stage to delight home fans, 2:21 ahead of defending champion Cyril Despres and 3:45 ahead of overall leader Marc Coma. Coma’s overall lead was 7:24 over Despres and 18:27 in front of Lopez Contardo.
The seventh stage across the Atacama desert followed Saturday’s rest day and marked the midway point of the rally, which finishes Jan. 16 in Buenos Aires — where it began on Jan. 1.
