Gordon back on top in Dakar rally

Latest pics of the race

American Robby Gordon won the fourth stage of the Dakar Rally from Rabat to Agadir in Morocco to retake the lead.

Gordon, who had been overtaken by Britain's Colin McRae on Sunday, set the fastest time of one hour 14 minutes one second on the 123km timed section.

He was 53 seconds ahead of Stephane Peterhansel and now leads the Frenchman by 59 seconds in the standings while McRae has slipped back to 10th.

The motorcycle stage was cancelled when fog grounded security helicopters.

But the fog had lifted by the time the cars and lorries were scheduled to start.

Behind Gordon and Peterhansel, Bruno Saby was third fastest and lies third overall as well.

McRae suffered a puncture that took him three minutes to repair and ended the run three minutes and 46 seconds off the lead.

After the timed section, all the competitors, including the motorbikes, still had to complete the 666km stage to Agadir.

Gordon said he was pleased with his second stage win because it proved he could be a serious contender for victory.

Although he won the short first stage in Barcelona, this was his first victory in the desert conditions that define the rally.

He said: "I'm really delighted. I finally was able to show what I can really do in this rally and not only on the circuits of short specials.

"Volkswagen took a risk when they chose me and I'm happy to prove that they were right."

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Monday's stage results:
1. Robby Gordon (US) Volkswagen 1:14:01
2. Stephane Peterhansel (Bel) Mitsubishi at 53secs
3. Bruno Saby (Fran) Volkswagen 1:08
4. Luc Alphand (Fra) Mitsubishi 1:24
5. Jutta Kleinschmidt (Ger) Volkswagen 2:10
6. Juha Kankkunen (Fin) Volkswagen 2:40
7. Gregoire De Mevius (Bel) Nissan 2:49
8. Giniel De Villiers (SA) Nissan 2:58
9. Ari Vatanen (Fin) Nissan 3:31
10. Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah (Qat) BMW 3:35

Overall standings
1. Gordon 1:26:24
2. Peterhansel at 59sec
3. Saby 1:14
4. Alphand 1:32
5. Kleinschmidt 2:32
6. De Villiers 2:59
7. Kankkunen 3:21
8. De Mevius 3:28
9. Vatanen 3:38
10. Colin McRae (GB) Nissan 3:46

Motorbike standings unchanged after cancellation of stage due to fog.