Sainz Gets Dakar Day 3 Head Start; Peterhansel Recaptures Lead
Carlos Sainz, driving the Qatar Red Bull buggy, won his protest over GPS malfunction yesterday and race officials to restored the time he lost searching for a faulty electronic waypoint. The change put Sainz in first at the start of Day 3 ahead of MINI X-raid pilot Stéphane Peterhansel who snatched back the overall lead within hours of losing it to Sainz to lead the Dakar car division at the end of Day 3 by more than six minutes. Two other MINI X-raid vehicles finished Day 3 in the top ten, however, Krzysztof Holowczyc apparently launched his off of a dune and crashed sustaining minor injuries to his ribs and back. His co-driver Felipe Palmeiro was unhurt, but their effort at Dakar 2013 is now complete. Only three of the four MINI X-raid team vehicles remain in the rally according to Motorsport.com.