Al-Attiyah and Sainz in final showdown on Saturday

Spain’s Sainz and Qatar’s Al-Attiyah look set for a fight to the end. The Spaniard is ahead by 3 minutes before the final stage on Saturday. Meanwhile, France’s Cyril Despres leads the motorcycle race with Noray’s Ullevalseter back in second spot.

By FRANCE 24 (video)
FRANCE 24 (text)

The Nihuil sand dunes hold the key as the 2010 Dakar Rally draws to an end on Saturday. As things stand, Spain’s Carlos Sainz who leads the overall standings with Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah just under 3 minutes behind. But the race is far from over.

The last stage of the rally may hold an advantage for Sainz. The 206 kilometers of very fast track may help the former World Rally Champion take the Dakar title.

Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel (BMW) who won the 13th stage of the race, looks set to clinch fourth place.

Meanwhile, the motorcycle race is led by France’s Cyril Despres. The Frenchman finished second in the 13th stage, conceding 43 seconds but is still more than an hour ahead before the final stage of the Dakar-2010 on Saturday.

The 13th stage was won by Norwegian rider Pal Anders Ullevalseter while Spanish former winner Mark Coma was third.

The victory took Ullevalseter back to the second spot in the overall standings, benefitting from the setbacks suffered by Chilean motorcyclist Francisco Lopez. Lopez finished fourth, 5’35 behind the Norwegian.

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