2018 Dakar Rally: No problems for the front-runners at Stage 8

Stephane Peterhansel (Team Peugeot Total) wins the Stage 8 of the 2018 Dakar Rally. He was the fastest on the marathon stage between Uyuni and Tupiza with the 498-km long timed section. It’s the second stage win for Monsieur Dakar, who stayed third in the overall standings behind his teammate Carlos Sainz and Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Nasser Al-Attiyah.

Cyril Despres (Peugeot), who lies 40th in the overall standings, was the second-fastest today, just 49 seconds behind Peterhansel. Nasser Al-Attiyah was the third fastest on Stage 8, two minutes 12 seconds behind Peterhansel and almost five minutes ahead of the fifth-fastest Carlos Sainz.

Carlos Sainz is leading the rally after eight stages

In the overall classification, Carlos Sainz stays in the lead. Al-Attiyah decreases a gap to 1h 6.37minutes. Peterhansel is 1h 13.42 minutes behind Sainz, still hoping that he can reach his 14th victory if two leading drivers lost a time.

Toyota drivers Bernhard ten Brinke and Giniel de Villiers are rounding top 5 but they switched their positions because De Villiers lost more than 18 minutes comparing to his teammate today. Jakub Przygonski (Orlen Team/X-Raid Mini) stayed in the sixth place, fifteen minutes ahead of Martin Prokop (MP Sports Ford). Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi (PH Sport Peugeot) is 8th, twelve minutes behind Prokop.

Dakar totem in Uyuni

Check the full results of Stage 8

On Monday, January 15, the race will enter Argentina with the 513-km long special stage between Tupiza and Salta. The timed section is 242 kilometers long.

Photos: Florent Gooden/DPPI,