The deadly Dakar Rally was in mourning again on Wednesday with the news that French motorcyclist Pascal Terry had been found dead while competing in this year's race. The 49-year-old Terry was found dead overnight after the fourth stage of the gruelling spectacle which is taking place for the first time in South America after terrorist threats forced its cancellation last year. He had been missing since Sunday and the second stage of the race between Santa Rosa and Puerto Madryn. “The motorcyclist was found in an area that is very inaccessible with very dense vegetation 15 meters from his bike,” organizers said in a statement. “He had taken off his helmet and had taken shelter with food and water next to him.” An investigation was immediately opened to determine the cause of death. On the track Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah took the overall lead on Wednesday after South-African Giniel de Villiers won the fifth stage, a 506km special from Neuquen. Al-Attiyah, winner of two stages already in this edition, took over from Spain's two-time rally world champion Carlos Sainz, who finished over 15 minutes behind de Villiers and 10 minutes in arrears of the Qatari after he lost his bonnet during the stage. De Villiers led home Germany's Dieter Depping by 2min 18sec, while American Robby Gordon was third 4min 12sec adrift. France's defending champion Stephane Peterhansel had a bad day as well. Quite apart from finishing 7min 12sec behind de Villiers the Frenchman, who is seeking his 10th win overall in the race and his fourth in the car section, could well have seen his challenge come to an end after his Mitsubishi ended the stage with a broken radiator. American rider Jonah Street won the fifth stage of the motorcycling discipline and closed the gap on Spanish overall leader Marc Coma. The American, second overall overnight, beat home Dutchman Frans Verhoeven by 5min 53sec while Chilean Francisco Lopez was third, 7min 34sec adrift. Streets made up over 15 minutes on Coma, after the Spaniard had a puncture at the beginning of the special though he still holds a lead of 27min 12sec.
