Nasser Al-Attiyah has called time on the defense of his Dakar Rally title, pulling out of the 2012 race after problems with his car.
A flat tire saw Stéphane Peterhansel's lead in the Dakar Rally cut to seven and a half minutes by American Bobby Gordon who finished second behind stage eight winner Nani Roma.
Nasser Al-Attiyah kept his Dakar Rally title defense alive as he clawed back almost eight minutes in winning Saturday's seventh stage in Chile.
Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen is excited ahead of his return to Formula One next season, having signed a two-year deal with the renamed Lotus team in November.
Formula One's all-conquering Red Bull team announced on Thursday that Swiss Sebastien Buemi will serve as their reserve and test driver for the 2012 season.
Defending motorcycle champion Marc Coma of Spain won Wednesday's 362km fourth stage of the Dakar Rally from San Juan to Chilecito, although the Spaniard still trails KTM team-mate Cyril Despres in the overall standings.
Defending champion Marc Coma claimed the 17th Dakar Rally motorcycle stage win of his career on Monday with victory in the 295km second stage from Santa Rosa de la Pampa to San Rafael in Argentina.
Stephane Peterhansel reveled in the challenging sand dunes which marked the fifth stage of the Dakar Rally and stepped up his challenge for yet another triumph in the event with an emphatic victory.
Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah held off teammate and race leader Carlos Sainz by just 25 seconds to claim victory in the third stage of the Dakar Rally on Tuesday.
Defending champions Carlos Sainz and Cyril Despres stretched their leads in this year's Dakar Rally as they doubled up again on the second stage.
Carlos Sainz defied difficult weather conditions to win the opening stage of his title defense in the car category of the Dakar Rally in Argentina on Sunday.
Carlos Sainz was furious with teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah after the Qatari driver slashed his Dakar Rally lead going into Saturday's final stage in Argentina.
Carlos Sainz is closing on his first Dakar Rally car title after extending his lead with victory on Tuesday's 10th stage in the South American event.
Stephane Peterhansel won the sixth stage of the Dakar Rally to record his 20th stage victory in the car class -- as Carlos Sainz extended his overall lead.
American driver Robby Gordon won the fourth stage of the Dakar Rally by just one second from Stephane Peterhansel, who extended his overall lead to more than seven minutes in South America on Tuesday.
Dakar Rally legend Stephane Peterhansel took control of this year's edition with a commanding victory in the third stage in Argentina.
Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah claimed the lead in the Dakar Rally on Sunday as the competitors involved in a death crash on the first stage in Argentina withdrew from the grueling 9,000 kilometer 15-day event.
Former world rally champion Carlos Sainz had to settle for second place behind Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah on the opening stage of the 2009 Dakar Rally in Argentina on Saturday.
Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel believes that rival Carlos Sainz will start as favorite for the Dakar Rally -- which makes its first appearance in South America on Saturday.
French motorbike rider Eric Aubijoux became the second fatality of this year's Dakar Rally on Saturday during the 14th stage between Tambacounda and Dakar.
Defending champion Luc Alphand turned the heat on race leader and Mitsubishi team-mate Stephane Peterhansel on Thursday with just two full stages remaining in the Dakar Rally.
Defending champion Stephane Peterhansel has lost the Dakar Rally lead after a costly tangle with a tree during stage 12, won by new leader Luc Alphand.
Holder Stephane Peterhansel retained the overall lead in the Dakar Rally after a tricky drive through the Mauritania sand dunes.
Defending champion Stephane Peterhansel compensated for a sluggish start to the Dakar rally by winning the fifth stage on Moroccan trails.
Frenchman Jean-Louis Schlesser used his experience of the Dakar rally to the full to win the first stage on African soil in this year's race.
France's Stephane Peterhansel and Hiroshi Masuoka of Japan are favorites to maintain Mitsubishi's stranglehold on the Dakar Rally when the 28th race starts on Saturday.
Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel clinched his second straight Dakar Rally title in the car category, adding to his six wins in the motorcycle race, when the event finished in Senegal's capital Sunday.
France's Stephane Peterhansel stayed in sight of his second successive Dakar Rally triumph by safely negotiating the 15th and penultimate stage of the grueling 2005 event.
Ari Vatanen of Finland won the 14th stage of the Dakar Rally while Stephane Peterhansel stayed on course to defend his overall title with just two days left.
Defending champion Stephane Peterhansel of France, driving a Mitsubishi, and Australian motorcyclist Andy Caldecott, riding a KTM, have won the 13th stage of the Dakar Rally.
South Africa's Giniel De Villiers got the better of defending champion Stephane Peterhansel to capture the 12th stage of the Dakar Rally.
Fabrizio Meoni, winner of the Dakar Rally in 2001 and 2002, died of a heart attack after a crash on Tuesday's 11th stage of the 2005 race, organizers said.
Defending champion Stephane Peterhansel of France won the 483 kilometer low-key 10th stage of the Dakar rally in Mauitania on Monday.
Former champion downhill skier Luc Alphand of France has won the ninth stage of the Dakar Rally.
A sandstorm on the Sahara's edge on Friday forced cancellation of the Dakar rally's eighth stage because of bad visibility organizers said.
Defending champion Stephane Peterhansel, driving a Mitsubishi, won stage seven of the Dakar Rally to storm to the top of the standings.
Holder Stephane Peterhansel won the 492km timed section of the Dakar rally's sixth stage to Zouerat, Mauritania, on Wednesday as Colin McRae crashed out.
Britain's Colin McRae took the 381km timed section of the fifth stage of the Dakar rally from Agadir to Smara, Morocco, on Tuesday for his second win of the event.
American Robby Gordon won his second stage of the Dakar Rally to regain the overall lead after Monday's trek from Rabat to Agadir in Morocco.
Former world rally champion Colin McRae of Scotland leads the Paris Dakar rally ahead of the first stage on African soil on Monday.
Robby Gordon claimed the first car category win by an American when he took Friday's opening stage of the Dakar Rally, a six kilometer super special on the Castelldefels beach near Barcelona.
Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel is on the verge of claiming his first Dakar Rally victory on four wheels after safely completing the 191-kilometer penultimate stage.
Former World Cup downhill skier Luc Alphand won the 12th stage of the Dakar Rally, as the race restarted after a three-day break to avoid armed bandits in Mali.
Stephane Peterhansel stormed into the lead in the Dakar Rally after mechanical problems cost Mitsubishi team mate Hiroshi Masuoka over an hour.
Two-time defending champion Hiroshi Masuoka of Japan assumed the lead in the 2004 Dakar Rally after winning the sixth stage, a 351km leg from Ouarzazate to Tan-Tan in Morocco on Tuesday.
DAKAR, Senegal (Reuters) - Four-times winner Ari Vatanen secured his 50th career Dakar Rally stage success on Sunday's 75-km special section on stage four between Tangiers and Er Rachidia in Morocco.
Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel claimed the overall lead after the nine-kilometer third stage of the Paris-Dakar through the streets of Castellon.
Spain's Josep-Maria Servia won Friday's second stage of the Paris-Dakar rally and took over the overall lead from Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel.
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