Alphand and Coma close in on Dakar win
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-01-15 14:48

But the Frenchman will only need to coast around the final stage to confirm a record-breaking sixth successive Dakar triumph for the Mitsubishi team.

Alphand said the families of those who had died were in his thoughts.

"Of course, we are thinking of them and their families," said the Frenchman.

"But there are accidents at home in front of schools. There are reckless drivers at home.

"I am happy to win the Dakar Rally. I have taken risks, I drive at 200kmh on roads I don't know."

Frenchmen David Fretigne and Guerlain Chicherit won the motorbike and car stages respectively on Saturday.

Chicherit won his first ever stage of the Rally coming home over three minutes clear of South African veteran Alfie Cox.

For Chicherit it was a great result having suffered badly in the previous stage.

"Yesterday I caught the dust of Luc Alphand in front and he could not hear me on the horn behind," said Chicherit.

"I hit a rock hard and it completely wrecked my wheel and damaged the hub. We had to repair everything and it cost me about 20 minutes. It was so annoying because I lost ninth place to Thierry Magnaldi.

"But today is a fantastic result for me and the whole team after all the hard work they have put into the last two weeks."

In the motorbike section, Spain's Marc Coma extended his lead as reigning champion Cyril Despres got lost on the penultimate stage.

Coma, though, virtually wrapped up the motorbike title - which would be his first - as he finished more than 40 minutes ahead of Despres, who has had a topsy turvy race having also dislocated a shoulder.

The motorcyclists had stopped at the 181.8km mark at Thies to pay their respects to Italian Fabrizio Meoni, the two-time champion, who died on the spot in last year's edition - his widow Elena also joined in the small ceremony.