Peterhansel finally wins stage, keeps lead
Carlos Sainz, Peterhansel's X-Raid Mini JCW teammate, only 11th. The Spaniard, who had to stop and repair his car's brakes, stayed third overall. France's nine-times world rally champion Sebastien Loeb retired from the event.
Peterhansel said, “That was a real Dakar stage: difficult navigation, challenging dunes – not only a question of speed, but also strategy. We knew it was going to be a long day, which is why we did not go flat-out, but rather tried to manage the tyres. In the end, we were able to overtake Carlos and Nasser.”
The Dakar 2021 is moving slowly but surely towards its conclusion, with three legs remaining. On Wednesday, the Dakar caravan moves to AlUla.
Price crashes out
Two-time former motorbike champion Toby Price has withdrawn from the Dakar Rally after the Australian took a severe blow to the head in a crash that left him in a hospital bed on Tuesday.
Price's crash on stage nine comes on the first anniversary of the death of Portuguese motorcyclist Paulo Goncalves, on last year's Dakar which was also staged in Saudi Arabia.
Racing largely on dirt tracks and dunes Price had gone into the ninth stage in second place overall, a little over a minute adrift of Chilean leader Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo.
At the time of his fall in which he also hurt his left arm and shoulder, Price had actually taken the lead and appeared to be gearing up for a victory before being airlifted to hospital.
"Toby fell and hurt his arm badly. He had no idea where he was when I got to him, so I waited until the doctors got there," fellow contender Ricky Brabec said. On Monday, French rider Xavier de Soultrait pulled out following a heavy crash and is being treated in the same hospital as Price.
Tuesday's run along deserted dirt tracks overlooking the Red Sea from Neom and back was won by Argentina's Kevin Benavides on his Honda. Cornejo Florimo now leads Benavides by 11min 24sec and Briton Sam Sunderland by 14min 34sec.
The race wraps up in Jeddah on Friday with three stages remaining.