By alley - Jan 4, 2016, 2:01 PM ET

DAKAR: Loeb takes lead on stage two

Sebastien Loeb took the lead of his first Dakar Rally by winning the first full stage of the 2016 event on Monday.

After Sunday's stage was canceled due to poor weather, continued heavy rain meant the competitive element of Monday's run from Villa Carlos Paz to Termas de Rio Hondo was reduced from the planned 317 miles to 240.

Loeb was quickest through every checkpoint and won the stage by 2m23s over Peugeot teammate and event legend Stephane Peterhansel.

While two of the 2008 DKRs moved into first and second overall, another has already hit trouble. Carlos Sainz lost over 10 minutes when he had to stop with engine problems, dropping him outside the overall top 10.

Also in trouble was 2014 winner Nani Roma, whose X-raid Mini became stuck in a muddy section halfway through the stage, costing him over three quarters of an hour to the leaders.

Loeb's longtime World Rally Championship rival Mikko Hirvonen ended Monday as X-raid's lead runner in fifth, behind the Toyotas of Vladimir Vasilyev and Giniel de Villiers.

Last year's victor Nasser Al-Attiyah is four minutes off the pace in eighth in the next best Mini, trailing the Toyota of Leroy Poulter and the third Peugeot of Cyril Despres.

WRC regular Martin Prokop and prologue pacesetter Bernhard Ten Brinke complete the early top 10.

NBCSN presents coverage of the world's most challenging off-road endurance race during the next two weeks, starting today at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Date	Coverage	Time (ET)
Mon., January 4	Stage 1 - Rosario to Villa Carlos Paz	5:30 p.m.
Tue., January 5	Stage 2 - Villa Carlos Paz to Termas De Rio Hondo	5:30 p.m.
Wed., January 6	Stage 3 – Termas De Rio Hondo to San Salvador De Jujuy	5:30 p.m.
Thu., January 7	Stage 4 - San Salvador De Jujuy to San Salvador De Jujuy	5:30 p.m.
Fri., January 8	Stage 5 - San Salvador De Jujuy to Uyuni	5:30 p.m.
Sat., January 9	Stage 6 – Uyuni to Uyuni	5:30 p.m.
Sun., January 10	Stage 7 – Uyuni to Salta	6:30 p.m.
Mon., January 11	Rest Day	5:30 p.m.
Tue., January 12	Stage 8 – Salta to Belen	5:30 p.m.
Wed., January 13	Stage 9 – Belen to Belen	5:30 p.m.
Thu., January 14	Stage 10 – Belen to La Rioja	5:30 p.m.
Fri., January 15	Stage 11 – La Rioja to San Juan	5:30 p.m.
Sat., January 16	Stage 12 – San Juan to Villa Carlos Paz	5:30 p.m.
Sun., January 17	Stage 13 – Villa Carlos Paz to Rosario	5 p.m.