By: Valentin Khorounzhiy
Motorsport.com
Dakar Rally leader Stephane Peterhansel topped the seventh stage of the race, gaining 48 seconds on teammate and nearest rival Sebastien Loeb.The La Paz – Uyuni test that awaited competitors on Monday was revamped and reduced in length after torrential rain had hit Bolivia and made the original route nonviable.Reigning champion Peterhansel, who was narrowly ahead of Loeb heading into the stage, had been more than a minute up on the nine-time WRC champion at around halfway point – before Loeb clawed back the deficit by the end of the 161km timed section.
The pair are now split by 1m57s at the head of the race, pulling away from Nani Roma and Cyril Despres, the former disrupting a Peugeot 1-2-3 that had held since Friday.
Toyota driver Roma and Peugeot man Despres, who were both around five minutes off Peterhansel at the start of the stage, ended the day 11 and 14 minutes adrift respectively.
Completing the top three within the stage was Toyota’s Giniel de Villiers, three minutes and a half off Peterhansel, with X-Raid Mini’s Mikko Hirvonen slotting in right behind and maintaining his overall fifth place.
Peugeot privateer Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi was an impressive sixth in the stage, splitting Roma and Despres.
Cars standings after Stage 7:
| Pos. | Driver/Navigator | Car | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Stephane Peterhansel
| Peugeot | 15h57m06s |
| 2 | Sebastien Loeb
| Peugeot | +1m57s |
| 3 |  Nani Roma
| Toyota | +11m07s |
| 4 | Cyril Despres
| Peugeot | +14m01s |
| 5 |  Mikko Hirvonen
| Mini | +47m24s |
| 6 |  Giniel de Villiers
| Toyota | +1h11m44s |
| 7 |  Orlando Terranova
| Mini | +1h16m06s |
| 8 |  Kuba Przygonski
| Mini | +1h18m02s |
| 9 |  Boris Garafulic
| Mini | +2h08m20s |
| 10 | Romain Dumas
|
Daniel Elena
Dirk von Zitzewitz
Tom Colsoul
Filipe Palmeiro
