Fretigne leads Dakar

Yamaha rider David Fretigne is making all the early running in this year’s Dakar rally.

He won the Barcelona super special stage on December 31 and claimed stage 3 special in Granada on Sunday (January 2).

The Frenchman clocked 7’57” on the 10km circuit, beating Alfie Cox (KTM) by 2sec and Cyril Despres (KTM) by 3sec.

Frétigné now has an 11sec lead on Despres in the overall standings with Kellon Walsh (KTM) third.

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Frenchman Denis Comte has had to quit the rally after having all his documents, cash and credit cards stolen from his support van in Barcelona.

229 bikes remain in the 8,956 kilometre event.

Competitors travelled from Barcelona to Granada on New Year’s Day on an untimed stage. Competition restarted today (Sunday).