Britain’s Sam Sunderland has retained the overall Dakar 2022 lead but saw his advantage cut to just four seconds by Yanaha’s Adrien Van Beveren.

Sunderland assisted with opening the special after setting off in second place before a minor issue finding a waypoint caused him to lose a little bit of time.

With all riders setting a similar pace, he ultimately placed 17th, just seven-and-a-half minutes behind the stage winner to retain the overall rally lead.

“Today was very sandy, and very fast,’ said Sunderland. “I had a little bit of difficulty finding a waypoint, which allowed a few riders to catch up with me, so I knew I’d lost a bit of time there. But overall, it wasn’t too bad.

“We’re in for a really long stage tomorrow so starting further back is a good thing and I’m excited for a long day on the bike.”