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Lima - France's Stephane Peterhansel won an unprecedented 10th Dakar Rally title on Sunday after the 14th and final stage won by American Robby Gordon.
The Mini driver was previously a three-time car winner and six-time motorcycle champion of the gruelling rally that has been raced in South America in 2009.
Peterhansel, who went into the final stage with a 43-minute lead over closest rival Nani Roma of Spain, finished 10th on the 29km special, 3:12 off Gordon's pace.
The Frenchman covered the 8 400km-long rally, of which more than half were timed specials, between Mar Del Plata in Argentina and Lima in 38hr 54min 46sec, with Spanish team-mate Roma at 41:56, and South African Toyota driver Giniel De Villiers third at 1.13:25.
De Villiers, who won the 2009 Dakar Rally, and German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz, driving a South African-designed and built Toyota Hilux pickup, was seldom out of the top five over the two-week event, and solidified his third place overall with third on Sunday.
The motorbike category was won by Frenchman Cyril Despres, who came through the stage unscathed to finish ahead of Marc Coma, whose wrong turn on Saturday's stage handed his rival a clear run to the title.
It was a fourth title for Despres, riding a KTM, after the stage won by Dutchman Pal Ullevalseter.
Despres clocked 43hr 28min 11sec in the overall timings, 53:20 ahead of Coma, with Yamaha rider Helder Rodrigues of Portugal in third at 1.11:17.
2012 Dakar Rally Final Results:
Stage 14 Times - Cars
1 Robby Gordon (USA) Johnny Campbell (USA) Hummer 22:43
2 Ricardo Leal dos Santos (POR) Paulo Fiuza (POR) Mini +00:21
3 Krzysztof Holowczyc (POL) Jean-Marc Fortin (BEL) Mini +00:38
4 Giniel de Villiers (RSA) Dirk von Zitzewitz (GER) Toyota +01:28
5 Carlos Sousa (POR) Jean-Pierre Garcin (FRA) GWM +01:36
6 Lucio Alvarez (ARG) Bernardo Graue (ARG) Toyota +02:01
7 Leonid Novitskiy (RUS) Andreas Schulz (GER) Mini +02:10
8 Nani Roma (ESP) Michel Périn (FRA) Mini +02:11
9 Bernhard Ten Brinke (NED) Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Mitsubishi +02:49
10 Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA) Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA) Mini +03:12
14 Mark Corbett (RSA) Francois Jordaan (RSA) CR4 +05:32
17 Duncan Vos (RSA) Rob Howie (RSA) Toyota +6:07
Overall Standings After Stage 14 (Final) - Cars
1 Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA) Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA) Mini 38hr 54:46
2 Nani Roma (ESP) Michel Périn (FRA) Mini 15:36:42 +41:56
3 Giniel de Villiers (RSA) Dirk von Zitzewitz (GER) Toyota +1hr 13:25
4 Leonid Novitskiy (RUS) Andreas Schulz (GER) Mini +2hr 11:54
5 Robby Gordon (USA) Johnny Campbell (USA) Hummer +2hr 16:53
6 Lucio Alvarez (ARG) Bernardo Graue (ARG) Toyota +4hr 05:52
7 Carlos Sousa (POR) Jean-Pierre Garcin (FRA) GWM +4hr 30:24
8 Ricardo Leal dos Santos (POR) Paulo Fiuza (POR) Mini +5hr 03:18
9 Bernhard Ten Brinke (NED) Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Mitsubishi +5hr 11:18
10 Krzysztof Holowczyc (POL) Jean-Marc Fortin (BEL) Mini +6hr 59:38
11 Duncan Vos (RSA) Rob Howie (RSA) Toyota +7hr 08:31
24 Mark Corbett (RSA) Francois Jordaan (RSA) CR4 +18hr 57:29
Stage 14 Times - Bikes
1 Pal Anders Ullevalseter (NOR) KTM 22:26
2 Marc Coma (ESP) KTM +01:08
3 Stefan Zvitko (SVK) KTM +01:43
4 Gerard Farres Guell (ESP) KTM +02:01
5 Alessandro Botturi (ITA) KTM +02:11
6 Olivier Pain (FRA) Yamaha +02:55
7 Jordi Viladoms (ESP) KTM +03:35
8 Helder Rodrigues (POR) Yamaha +03:41
9 Joan Barreda Bort (ESP) Husqvarna +03:44
10 Cyril Després (FRA) KTM +03:51
27 Darryl Curtis (RSA) KTM +08:23
69 Greg Raaf (RSA) KTM +15:44
Overall Standings After Stage 14 (Final) - Bikes
1 Cyril Després (FRA) KTM 43hr 28:11
2 Marc Coma (ESP) KTM +53:20
3 Helder Rodrigues (POR) Yamaha +1hr 11:17
4 Jordi Viladoms (ESP) KTM +1hr 40:56
5 Stefan Zvitko (SVK) KTM +1hr 47:28
6 Pal Anders Ullevalseter (NOR) KTM +2hr 11:56
7 Gerard Farres Guell (ESP) KTM +2hr 14:22
8 Alessandro Botturi (ITA) KTM +2hr 59:04
9 Olivier Pain (FRA) Yamaha +3hr 17:50
10 Felipe Zanol (BRA) KTM +3hr 25:56
22 Darryl Curtis (RSA) KTM +7hr 23:32
83 Greg Raaf (RSA) KTM +30hr 08:24
