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Vasilyev keeps Mini dominance, Coma tastes first victory

Xinhua, January 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

Russian driver Vladimir Vasilyev kept Mini' s dominance in 2015 Dakar Rally by winning the fifth stage in car category while bike defending champion Marc Coma finally tasted first victory on Thursday.

The fifth stage, competed alongside the shores of the Pacific Ocean, includes 458km special run from Chile's Atacama desert, the driest place on earth, to the coastal stop of Antofagasta.

Vasilyev clinched his first stage win in 2015 edition with a time of four hours 19 minutes and 18 seconds, while his team Mini, the defending champions last year, made it five stage wins in five this year.

Saudi Arabia's Yazeed Alrajhi from Toyota gained second place in the stage, lagging behind Vasilyev by only 20 seconds. The Hummer of American driver Robbie Gordon was third on the day with one minutes and 25 seconds further back of Vasilyev.

The overall standings was still led by Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah behind the wheel of Mini as the 2011 champion finished fourth Thursday. 11-time champion Stephane Peterhansel in a Peugeot ranked fifth in the stage.

South Africa's 2009 champion Giniel de Villiers failed to finish on the podium ranking sixth, however he remained the second overall. Thursday' s runner-up Alrajhi also remained third in the overall standings.

"I hope I did not win the stage because tomorrow will be a very difficult stage and I'd like somebody else to open the stage," said Al-Attiyah, who leads the overall standings with an advantage of 10 minutes 35 seconds.

Friday' s sixth stage will climb up the Pacific coast towards Iquique, after which every competitors will have taken part in a marathon stage.

The marathon stages, where drivers cannot use their assistance teams, are a particular test of their ability to independently manage their mechanics. This year, cars and trucks, which have not taken part in a marathon stage since 2005, will have to tackle this additional difficulty.

"I need to think a lot next week because we also have the marathon day. It's our plan to come here and win the race, but ok, we are leading and we'll just try to keep going like this."

KTM' s four-time motorcycling winner Marc Coma from Spain claimed his first stage victory of the 2015 edition, finishing the run to Antofagasta ahead of compatriot and overall leader Joan Barreda on a Honda.

Chile's Pablo Quintanilla took the third place in the stage. Endi