Loeb is “ready to win” Dakar, says Peterhansel

Peterhansel, who has won the Dakar on 12 occasions on both two and four wheels, currently heads Peugeot teammate Loeb by just under two minutes.

The Dakar veteran was marginally quicker than the nine-time WRC champion through Monday's La Paz – Uyuni stage, yet Peterhansel was impressed with Loeb's performance, as the latter had been running first on the road.

“It was cool to drive fast today, to fight with Sebastien,” Peterhansel said at stage end. “He did a really good job, because he was first on the track, so he did all the navigation.

“For him it was not easy. At the end, the difference is really small, so it's a stage for nothing, because the gap is still the same.”

Asked by Motorsport.com whether Loeb was performing stronger than expected, Peterhansel said: “No, but we thought about that since the beginning. Sebastien is really fast and you know that he learns very quickly.

“I said before the start, he's ready to win now.”

“Too early” to dream of win – Loeb

Loeb however says it's too soon to think about his maiden Dakar crown, with five stages left before the end of the rally in Buenos Aires on January 14.

Said Loeb of his run on Monday: “It was okay, it was good. We were first on the road so it's never easy... we found quite well the way and I tried to push, Stephane was a bit faster but we made a good stage.

“I prefer to be second on the road tomorrow than first, so we will see how it is. We're still in the fight for the moment so that's the most important.”

Asked whether, with five stages to go and his victory bid still going strong, he was starting to believe in his victory chances, Loeb said: “It's a bit early. I always believe that everything is possible, but it's too early.

"It can go one way or the other way at the moment. We'll just try to continue like this.”