Jiang Yaohuan of the Rely-Double Star Team passed teammate and Dakar debutant Liu Kun for the first time in the overall standings after the sixth stage on Friday as the world's most grueling race passed through the Atacama desert to the Chile-Peru border.

Jiang, last year's 29th overall finisher and drivng a China-made Chery Rely X5, completed the sixth stage in 25th place and is now 45th overall. Teammate Liu, also at the wheel of a Rely X5, finished in 30th place and ranks 47th overall.

The best Chinese performer on Friday was Zhou Yong, who completed the stage in 17th place in seven hours, 14 minutes and 31 seconds. Zhou is 22nd overall.

Zhou Yuande follows closely behind Zhou in 24th overall after coming home 28th in the stage. Another Chinese, Ma Junkun, who was fined after missing a checkpoint in the fifth stage, still had not reached the final late on Friday.

In motorcycling, Su Wenmin finished 72nd in the sixth stage and is now 78th overall.

China Daily

(China Daily 01/09/2011 page7)