SAN JUAN DE MARCONA - France's defending champion Stephane Peterhansel took the lead on the third day of the Dakar Rally in southern Peru as he aims to win the off-road race for a record 14th time.

Peterhansel finished the 296 kilometers stage from Pisco to the port of San Juan de Marcona in three hours 13 minutes and 13 seconds in his Peugeot, 4:05 behind Toyota's Nasser Al-Attiyah. Spain's Carlos Sainz was third.

Overnight leader Cyril Despres, who was fourth in Tuesday's stage, was second in the overall standings, 3:11 behind his compatriot and teammate Peterhansel. Al-Attiyah was third, almost eight minutes in arrears.

"It was complicated because there were a lot of dunes again," Peterhansel said. "The navigation was a little bit easier this morning because the bikers started first this morning.

"They navigated really well so most of the time we followed the lines of the bikers... we did not drive the stage on full attack, just with a good speed."

Two-time Dakar champion Nani Roma became one of the first casualties of the event when he suffered head and neck injuries after flipping his Mini less than a kilometer from the finish line.

The Spaniard was airlifted to hospital with his participation in the event almost certainly over. His co-driver Alex Haro was largely unscathed but also underwent precautionary medical checks.

In the motorcycle category, KTM's defending champion Sam Sunderland regained the overall lead with his second stage win in three days. The Briton led Honda's Kevin Benavides in the standings by 4:48.