Carlos Sainz looks set to clinch the 2018 Dakar rally victory assuming he avoids disaster on the final stage after Peugeot team-mate Stephane Peterhansel crashed into a tree on the penultimate stage which has thrown away the French manufacturer’s provisional 1-2 finish.

Nasser Al-Attiyah has returned to winning ways with victory on the 12 th stage of the 2018 Dakar rally beating Stephane Peterhansel by just over two minutes as he sliced away at Carlos Sainz’s overall lead with two stages remaining.

Carlos Sainz has maintained his 50-minute lead at the 2018 Dakar rally over Peugeot team-mate Stephane Peterhansel as Bernhard ten Brinke claims his first stage victory of the year.

Stephane Peterhansel has clinched his 41 st career stage victory in the car category at stage 10 of the 2018 Dakar rally to move up to second place in the overall classification as he continues to hunt down leader Carlos Sainz.

Stephane Peterhansel has battled back into the podium places at the 2018 Dakar rally with his 40 th career stage victory at the iconic event as overall leader Carlos Sainz saw his healthy lead trimmed, while Monday’s stage nine has been canned due to weather conditions.

Carlos Sainz has taken the overall lead of the 2018 Dakar rally thanks to back-to-back stage wins coupled with Peugeot team-mate Stephane Peterhansel's lengthy stop with a broken left-rear suspension.

Carlos Sainz has chipped away at Peugeot team-mate Stephane Peterhansel’s 2018 Dakar Rally lead with his first stage victory of this year’s event as the rally left Peru for Bolivia.

Stephane Peterhansel has returned to the top of the leaderboard at the 2018 Dakar Rally with victory on stage five as former leader Sebastien Loeb is forced out of the event.

Sebastien Loeb has clinched victory on stage four of the 2018 Dakar Rally to chip away at Stephane Peterhansel’s lead as Peugeot profits from its rival’s issues to take a 1-2-3 in the standings, while defending bike champion Sam Sunderland retires from the event.

Nasser Al-Attiyah has won his second stage of the 2018 Dakar Rally to jump into third overall in the classification and break the Peugeot domination at the top of the leaderboard.

Luc Alphand led the way for Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart as he attempted make up for lost time on the fourth leg of the 2009 Dakar Rally between Ingeniero Jacobacci and Neuqu?n in western Patagonia.