Motorsport
Alphand closes gap on Peterhansel in Dakar Rally
By DPA
Jan 11, 2006, 18:09 GMT

Bamako, Mali - Frenchman Luc Alphand closed the gap on fellow Mitsubishi driver Stephane Peterhansel after finishing third in Wednesday's 11th stage of the Dakar Rally from Kayes to Bamako, which was won by Giniel De Villiers of South Africa in a Volkswagen.

Defending champion Peterhansel finished down in 11th place over 15 minutes behind Alphand, and now has a lead of 25 minutes 9 seconds.

De Villiers remains third in his Touareg, 42 minutes 19 seconds behind the leader.

In the motorcycle section, Mali's Alain Duclos clinched his first ever stage victory on home soil as overall leader Marc Coma increased his lead to over 30 minutes.