Carlos Sainz made his first mistakes of the rally and they could be decisive in the battle he is having with Nasser Al-Attiyah for the title. The Qatari driver, first to set off today, found himself in a delicate position because his Spanish team-mate soon started to catch up with him. Having picked up the best intermediate provisional times, the title holder seemed to be heading for another special stage victory which would have also given him more breathing space in the general standings. However, this advantage was only ever virtual today. After a faultless drive over 500 kilometres, it was in the last five kilometres of the special that Sainz suffered a double loss of concentration. Twice in a row, a poor approach to a dune saw his Race Touareg become stuck in the sand. “El Matador” had to get out and dig to resume racing, losing precious minutes in the dunes around Copiapo. In fact, on the finishing line, he had lost 6'36” to Nasser Al Attiyah, the new leader of the general standings with a lead of 5'14”. The chances of victory change every day for the favourites. Stephane Peterhansel will not estimate his as the “15 to 20%” he granted himself during the rest day, because the leader of the X-Raid team was again haunted by punctures, starting his day with a new wheel change. What's more, Peterhansel's hopes took a mortal blow in the last 100 kilometres of the stage due to severe over-heating of his engine, forcing him to drive with caution rather than at pace. As a result, he crossed the finishing line of the special almost in slow motion, where a deficit in the standings awaited him, a setback that will be difficult to make good in the remaining stages. In this context, Volkswagen put its four vehicles in the day's first four places, with De Villiers and Mark Miller. In the general standings, the South African has now overtaken “Peter”. The American's two hour deficit does not prevent him from aiming to complete a Race Touareg blue 1-2-3-4. Indeed, he overtook Krzystszof Holowczyc, who also experienced severe mechanical problems at the beginning of the day. The Pole was firstly halted due to electric problems, then had to repair the power steering on his X3 before resuming the race. Whilst he poses no threat whatsoever for the race leaders, Joan “Nani” Roma can proudly boast that he finished this formidable stage as the best pursuer of the VWs. With his Nissan Pick-up, the former winner of the bike category still spent 52 minutes more than Al Attiyah to finish the day's special. Vladimir Chagin regained his crown as the Tsar in Copiapo. The seven times winner of the event, probably irritated by the double victory of Ales Loprais, put in the sort of perfect performance for which only he has the secret behind the wheel of his Kamaz. At the finishing line, he beat Kabirov by 32 minutes and now leads his countryman by 3'03” in the general standings, whilst Loprais finds himself half an hour behind. In fact, the Kamaz team leader was the quickest vehicle in the race, excluding the 4 Race Touaregs. He also took 4 minutes less than Marc Coma, winner on a KTM which, at 170 kg, is a featherweight compared to Chagin's truck! Tuesday, 11th January > Leg 9: Copiapo - Copiapo Shovels and sand ladders Road section, 35 km Special, 235 km If the mileage for the day’s proceedings is taken in isolation, the Copiapo-Copiapo loop could pass for a quiet stroll in the desert. Nonetheless it may happen that for many the outcome of the rally could go a long way to being decided in the majestic dunes that dominate this stage. In some places, the depth of the dips formed by the mountains of sand could condemn those who wander astray in them to an endless series of manoeuvres. During this day full of traps, there is a lot to lose... but also much to be won for those who are experts at crossing dunes. The most elementary advice on deflating tyres is probably the most valuable to follow. To add further spice to this stage, the bikers will set off in a grouped start, in rows of ten for the leading riders then in rows of 20.