Dakar: Terranova fastest, Al-Attiyah leads

Orlando Terranova was fastest on day three of the 2015 Dakar Rally, while Nasser Al-Attiyah's overall lead was reduced to five minutes and the Peugeots made progress.

With the motorcycles and cars using a partially different route on the San Juan to Chilecito stage, Al-Attiyah did not have the leader's usual advantage of the two-wheeled field having swept a path for the cars. The stage two winner therefore took it steadily in places, content for his advantage over Giniel de Villiers' Toyota to drop from eight minutes to 5m18s.

Terranova – who had briefly led after his X-raid Mini team-mate Al-Attiyah's Sunday night penalty – beat de Villiers to the stage win by 1m51s as he began to make up for rolling on Monday. That crash had dropped him to 10th, but he was back up to third by the end of Tuesday, albeit 13 minutes away from de Villiers' second place.

The best of the Peugeots is now up to fourth with Carlos Sainz, who was fourth quickest on stage three. Sainz's teammate Stephane Peterhansel was seventh fastest, but he is only 16th overall following his Monday delays.

World Rally Championship regular and Dakar debutant Yazeed Al-Rahji was third on stage three, establishing himself in fifth in the outright rankings.

Last year's Dakar winner Nani Roma is already out of contention for 2015 victory following the oil pump failure that struck his Mini just a few miles onto the very first stage, but he had some solace with sixth-fastest time on stage three. He is nine hours off the pace in 55th overall.

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LEADING STAGE THREE TIMES:

LEADING STANDINGS AFTER STAGE THREE:

Originally on Autosport.com