Loeb: Victory "won't be possible" without problems for Peterhansel

Loeb, contesting his second Dakar, is sat 5m50s behind Peterhansel with two days of running left, after his teammate was given back time following his crash with KTM rider Simon Marcic.

The remaining 356 kilometers of timed running are expected to favour Loeb as they will be mostly comprised of straightforward road tracks – but the Frenchman believes there won't be enough distance to make up ground to Peterhansel on driving alone.

“I expect that, even if it's some roads – and tomorrow's also off-road in the beginning – it will be a lot of time [to recover]. I think, without trouble, it will not be possible – but we still can try.”

Loeb, who entered Thursday's Chilecito – San Juan as rally leader, lost crucial ground to Peterhansel in the first part of the timed special, before the neutralised zone.

“We were lost three or four times in the wrong valley, doing two kilometres... very rough section, and finally it wasn't the good way.

“We came back, trying another way, then again – lost a lot of time in another place. It was very, very tricky. Not really fun. It's too difficult to find a waypoint. We have to pass with our car in a road like this [very narrow], it's sometimes nearly impossible.”

Asked if he and co-driver Daniel Elena lost their cool in the car when they realised they were lost, Loeb said: “A little bit, cause we saw we lost too much.

“In the next stage [after the neutralisation], I tried really maximum all the stage, I think we did a very good second stage - and we are here, that's the most important.”

Despres couldn't follow Loeb

Early on in the day, Peugeot's third driver Cyril Despres looked in with a chance to win the stage and increase his chances of stealing an unlikely Dakar win from his teammates.

However, Despres would lose ground to Loeb and Peterhansel after the neutralised zone – and now sits 25 minutes off the rally leader.

“They were quicker,” Despres acknowledged. “The air conditioner stopped in my car, I started to get hot – I didn't find a good rhythm. Sebastien, who started in front this morning, got a little bit lost – we overtook him on the first part but then on the second part, he overtook us. It was really fast, a lot of holes, not easy to catch a good rhythm.

“The pace of the nine-time world champion is quite high – we could not follow him in the second part of the stage. But it seems between going fast and doing good navigation, half of the day it was important to navigate well, and David [Castera, co-driver] did well.”

A five-time Dakar champion in bikes, Despres conceded he cannot catch his teammates without late drama – but says past experience tells him the race isn't finished yet.

“It's never finished until the finish line, but coming back only with the driving skill I don't think it's possible.

“I lost some time a Dakar quite close to the finish, and some time also I won the Dakar quite close to the finish line, that's why nobody knows.”