Spanish competitors Isidre Esteve Pujol and Carlos Sainz claimed the motorbike and car sections of the fifth stage of the Dakar rally in Ouarzazate on Wednesday.

As the rally resumed a day after the death of 29-year-old South African rider Elmer Symons, Pujol, riding a KTM, finished in front of overall leader Marc Coma and Cyril Despres of France after the 325km timed section.

In the car section, Sainz in a VW came in ahead of France's Stephane Peterhansel and South Africa's Giniel De Villiers to consolidate his overall lead.

Pujol's first victory of this year's Dakar, and seventh overall, allowed him to remain second but cut his deficit behind Coma by nearly two minutes to 9min 56sec.

The two Spaniards have already created a gap between them and the rest of the field as the rally waves goodbye to Morocco entering Mauritania.

Coma and Pujol are virtually the only riders not to have committed an error so far and third-placed Frenchman David Casteu is way back at 37:41.

Following about 100km of Wednesday's stage, Coma and Pujol rode practically together until the finishing line.

Despres, winner here last year, took third but lost more valuable time to Coma and Pujol and lies 47:33 behind the leader.

Sainz, a former champion in the world rally championship, won the sixth Dakar stage of his career.

He made the most of rapid and twisting roads which suited him perfectly to overtake Jean-Louis Schlesser and Carlos Sousa on the way to the second timing point at 163km.

Sainz eventually crossed the line with a mere 30sec advantage over Peterhansel and 1:41 from VW teammate Villiers.

Off the road the Vatican decried the death of Symons on Tuesday in what it called a "bloody, irresponsible" race.

The Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano said on Thursday that Symons died in a race that has "precious little to do with healthy competition.

"The trail of blood that lengthens from one year to the next ... emphasizes the undeniable component of violence underlying any attempt to export 'Western' modes to a human and ecological context that has little to do with the West," the weekly said in an article datelined Rabat.

Chinese drivers bounced back a bit yesterday, as Liu Bin of Team Mitsubishi Ralliart finished 58th in 4hr 56min 54sec to move up to No 50 overall.

Fourth-time competitior Lu Ningjun of Triangle Tire Team sits 129th in the standings.

(China Daily via AFP January 12, 2007)