Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel of Mitsubishi, and KTM's Australian motorcyclist Andy Caldecott, won the 13th stage of the Dakar Rally.

Defending champion Peterhansel won his fourth special of the tour in three hours, 30 minutes and seven seconds.

He was 4:17 ahead of compatriot and teammate Luc Alphand and 7:59 ahead of Nissan's Giniel De Villiers.

Peterhansel increased his lead to 27:33 over Alphand in the overall standings, followed by Volkswagen driver Jutta Kleinschmidt.

Chinese driver Zhou Yong drove a Paladin to cross the finish line 24th with four hours 23 minutes 37 seconds, followed by Lu Ningjun on the 25th. Another Paladin driver Xu Lang ranked 59th.

Zhou advanced one place to 20th in the overall rankings and Lu rose from 60 to 57.

In the moto section, Caldecott completed the special in three hours, 51 minutes and 41 seconds, followed by France's David Fretigne of Yamaha and teammate American Chris Blais.

Frenchman Cyril Despres finished seventh, but remains at the top of the overall standings.

The 14th stage sees the competitors facing a 630 kilometers ride between Kayes and Tambacounda, Senegal.  

(Photo source: AFP)

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