This was the last genuine opportunity to make the difference and gain a place in the general standings for the competitors.

They had to be watchful on the first part of the special in which the dunes of San Juan had pride of place as well as a section of fesh-fesh that can cause major damage to racing hopes.

The quick tracks at the end of the special suited WRC experts down to the ground, but there was always the danger of getting carried away with speed and making a mistake the day before the finish…

The essentials

Toby Price did his utmost to leave in his wake Kevin Benavides and especially his team-mate and rally leader Matthias Walkner. Though the Australian won his second consecutive stage, in the end he was unable to open up sufficient enough gaps to shake the order in the top 3 of the general standings, which are very unlikely to change before the finish tomorrow in Córdoba.

The classification is also virtually carved in stone in the quad category thanks to the 1 hour and 37 minute lead boasted by Ignacio Casale over Argentinean rookie Nicolás Cavigliasso. However, it was another local boy who shone today, with a second stage victory on the Dakar by Jeremías González.

In the car race, Nasser Al-Attiyah also improved his roll of honour, with a 31st stage win that puts him equal with no other than Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard did not push hard today and finished the special almost 20 minutes behind the winner, but more importantly at the top of the general standings.

It was an opportunity for lesser-known drivers to grab the spotlight, such as second placed finisher Lucio Álvarez, whilst Stéphane Peterhansel lost more than one hour and slid off the podium in the general standings due to crashing his 3008 into a tree, which broke his power steering. Bernhard ten Brinke will not climb onto the podium either, because he exited the race when his Toyota broke down, in the midst of a battle for the stage victory.

In the truck race, Eduard Nikolaev let the speed and reliability of his Kamaz do the talking to taste victory, finishing 50 seconds ahead of his team-mate Ayrat Mardeev. All the Russian now needs to do is to reach the finish in Córdoba to win his third Dakar rally.

Performance of the day

Johnny Aubert has every right to be satisfied with his return to the Dakar. For only his second participation following a solid debut in 2012 (when he finished 14th), the former enduro champion has accomplished an almost faultless performance.

The Gas Gas rider finished sixth on the way to Córdoba and occupies the same position in the general standings for the return to the Dakar of the small Spanish team, a result which the rider and team could hardly have dreamed of and which points to a promising future.

A crushing blow

Federico Villagra has every right to be bitter. The Argentinean driver had it all set to win his first Dakar in a truck the day before the finish in Córdoba, his home town.

This morning, he was second in the general standings, just one second behind Eduard Nikolaev.

The Iveco driver was leading the last special (and therefore the rally) when the gearbox on his Powestar started to show signs of weakness. After finishing the first part of the special at 40 kmph, Villagra and his crew finally decided to throw in the towel on the neutralised section, so near to their goal, yet so far…

Stat of the day

With only 120 km of special on the programme tomorrow, the chances of Kevin Benavides catching up with Matthias Walkner in the general standings and winning his first Dakar in front of a home crowd are very slim.

Without accidents or mistakes, and with a deficit of 22’31’’ to the Austrian, the official Honda rider will have to regain 12 seconds per kilometre on KTM No. 2 if he is to climb onto the highest step of the final podium.

The opening stage of the 2018 Dakar consisted of a spectacular link section along the Pacific coast followed by a 31 km sprint near Pisco —the ideal warm-up before the first real difficulties of the rally emerge in the next fewdays.

 It helped competitors to get a feel for the dunes of the Ica Desert near Pisco (where the famous Peruvianbrandy of he same name is made) before a beautiful downhill that gave specialists the chance to shine.

Defending champion Sam Sunderland stamped his authority on the race with a solid win in Pisco. The official KTM rider is the first leader, 32 seconds ahead of a stellar Adrien van Beveren (Yamaha).

Pablo Quintanilla and Joan Barreda also came within striking distance, whereas 2016 winner Toby Price finished a distant 14th. Ignacio Casale sent a clear message to his rivals in the quad category by nabbing his first stage win ahead of defending champion Sergey Karyakin and Frenchman Sébastien Souday, who has yet to finish the Dakar despite three previous attempts.

Meanwhile, in the car category, Al-Attiyah again showed his determination to end the reign of Peugeot with a victory that holds the promise of several more.

The Qatari's teammate, Bernhard ten Brinke, confirmed the stellar performance of the new Toyota while Stéphane Peterhansel was forced on the defensive.

Aleš Loprais, on the other hand, took his sixth stage win in the truck category as he chases the overall victory that has eluded him so far.

Martin van den Brink and Eduard Nikolaev are under 30 seconds back. Finally, Aníbal Aliaga gave Peru even more reasons to celebrate with a stage win in the S×S category on his Dakar debut.

A crushing blow fort the Loeb

The inaugural stage turned into a nightmare for Sébastien Loeb. Peugeot's Alsatian driver found himself without functional brakes after just 3 km of racing.

The nine-time WRC champion has already lost over five minutes to Nasser Al-Attiyah and will have to work very hard to claw them back.

Performance of the day

Bryce Menzies could hardly have hoped for a better start to his first Dakar. The American Bajas expert finished his first special in third place, a mere 38 seconds adrift of the great Nasser Al-Attiyah.

He even beat team leader Nani Roma as the first Mini driver on the standings.

Stat of the day

A mere 33 seconds separated Adrien van Beveren from a second consecutive Dakar stage win over Sam Sunderland. However, the French rider is on the rise and determined to pile the pressure on his English winter training companion and brother-in-law!

Sand galore! The fifth and final stage in Peru was just like the ones that preceded it.

The cars and trucks, racing on their own separate course, went through another day in hell.

The Tacna region and its mountainous dunesshowed no mercy, but the competitors got to take a breather with a stretch on the beach prior to the longtransfer to Arequipa.         

Full steam ahead for Joan Barreda! The Honda rider, far from the overall lead this morning, rocketed nine places up the general classification with an impressive victory, with more than 10 minutes to spare over Matthias Walkner and Kevin Benavides.

 Adrien Van Beveren held onto the overall lead by a wafer-thin margin, while Pablo Quintanilla lost ground today. In the car category, Stéphane Peterhansel brought his experience to bear and danced around the final dunes in Peru to cap an impeccable performance with his first win of the year ahead of Bernhard ten Brinke. He now has a margin of more than 30 minutes over Carlos Sainz in the general classification.

Meanwhile, Nicolás Cavigliasso shone in the quad category by claiming his first Dakar win in what was only his fifth stage in the rally. He is worth keeping an eye on over the next few days, just like Eduard Nikolayev, who claimed his third stage in the truck category and put clear daylight between him and the second-placed in the overall

Performance of the day

Antoine Méo has good reason to be happy after finishing fourth today.

The off-road prodigy set the race on fire in 2016 with two stage wins in his first Dakar, but he also sustained a hand injury that kept him off his official KTM for a year and a half.

Furthermore, his recovery was hampered by several bouts of surgery. The Frenchman, relieved to regain his form at the Dakar, is hoping to keep getting stronger as the race goes on.

A crushing blow

Yesterday's stage winner Sébastien Loeb found out how quickly joy can turn to ashes.

The final stage on the dunes of Peru buried the hopes of the former WRC driver, who was forced to withdraw from his third Dakar after spending over two hours stuck in the sand.

Co-driver Daniel Elena was too much in pain to start the second special after hurting his tailbone on the descent from a dune.

Stat of the day

Boasting a margin of more than 40 minutes over Alexis Hernández in the quad classification after just five stages, Ignacio Casale is head and shoulders above the rest of the field.

The Chilean rider is fully in control and has claimed three victories and two second places in five stages so far, despite the category having more entrants than ever at the start in Lima (49).

Defending champion Sergey Karyakin calling it quits as a result of a broken wrist will only make things easier for Casale.

Stage 5 top 10 – Cars

Top 10 after stage 5 - Cars

Over 100 car crews have signed up for the 40th edition, which starts in Lima on 6 January.

The drivers of the Lion brand, racing in their last Dakar with Peugeot, are the odds-on favourites, starting with leader Stéphane Peterhansel's hunt for a 14th win! However, Nasser Al-Attiyah's Toyota and Nani Roma's X-Raid are determined to challenge the Dream Team for victory.

13 light-weight buggies will be competing in the category now known as "Side by Side", with Camelia Liparoti tackling the Dakar from a new perspective after spicing up the quad race since 2009.   
 
Peugeot's return in 2015 was the start of a new chapter in the history of the Dakar. Fans in the 1980s already knew what it was like to be kept on the edge of their seats by the lions, which at the time roared with the Finnish accent of Vatanen and Kankkunen.

Fast-forward a few decades and the lions are again kings of the jungle. After just one false start, Stéphane Peterhansel took the 3008 to victory in 2016 and, one year later, successfully defended his title against teammates Sébastien Loeb and Cyril Despres in a 1-2-3 that showed the crushing superiority of the French maker.

Peugeot's announcement that it will not be participating in future editions has made the favourites determined to go out with a bang with their upgraded 3008 Maxi car. The rumours swirling about "Peter" retiring after 30 years of racing in the Dakar have only hardened the resolve of the fiercely competitive defending champion.

Teammate Sébastien Loeb may be relatively inexperienced, but he has shown the talent of a future Dakar champion, claiming nine specials in two editions and, most importantly, finishing in second place last year, just five minutes behind his captain.

Cyril Despres, with a wholly different driving style, has also shown an amazing ability to adapt, finishing third in 2017 in his third shot at the car category after five overall wins on a motorcycle.

Finally, Carlos Sainz's glory days are slowly fading into the distance after failing to finish five consecutive editions, but he remains as aggressive as ever and it would be a mistake to write him off. The Dream Team is looking good!
 
However, their rivals do not intend to go down without a fight.

After a rock-solid 2017 campaign, Nasser Al-Attiyah can no longer be considered a mere. The Qatari driver was leading last year's Dakar when a mechanical failure knocked him out of the race in stage 3, but he has since won seven out of eight races, with a fourth Cross-Country Rally World Cup to boot and an important psychological victory over Loeb in his latest outing at the Rally of Morocco.

Al-Attiyah's confidence rests on his intricate knowledge of the race and the substantial upgrades Toyota Gazoo Racing have made to their Hiluxes, from which 2009 champion Giniel De Villiers also stands to benefit. X-Raid, which are fielding three two-wheel drive buggies with Mikko Hirvonen, rookie Bryce Menzies and Yazeed Al-Rajhi at the wheels, could also take a great leap forward.

The German team's boss, Sven Qandt, has reserved his ace 4×4 Mini (a four-time winner of the Dakar between 2012 and 2015) for star signing Joan "Nani" Roma and Orly Terranova. The entire X-Raid roster has what it takes to aim for a podium spot… or higher.
 
Side by Side: a fresh challenge for Camelia Liparoti

Light-weight buggies have been racing the Dakar in small numbers for several years.

A dedicated category was launched in 2017 with eight competitors on the start line. The S×S category is an attractive proposition for bikers looking for a change of scenery and budget-conscious drivers, as well as a gateway to the Dakar chosen by increasing numbers of amateurs.

13 crews will be on the start line in Lima this year. The fight for glory looks set to be between Xtrem+'s Polaris RZR buggies, which have the most experience at the Dakar and won the 2017 edition with Brazilian Leandro Torres; the Mavrick X3 CAN-AMs, racing in their maiden edition; and the Yamaha 1000 YXZs.

Camelia Liparoti, the most consistent female quad rider of the Dakar's South American era with nine consecutive finishes under her belt, is tackling a fresh challenge at the wheel of a Yamaha.

The Franco-Italian rider finished second out of 33 S×S buggies in her dress rehearsal at the Merzouga Rally, good enough to place her among the favourites in a category where virtually anything could happen.

Among her closest rivals will be the Peruvian crew of Juan Carlos Uribe and Javier Uribe.

The duo showed their mettle at the continental level with two wins at the Baja Inca, which netted them the Dakar Challenge and a ticket to go head-to-head with the world elite in the Dakar.