( CNN ) -- Stephane Peterhansel reveled in the challenging sand dunes which marked the fifth stage of the Dakar Rally and stepped up his challenge for yet another triumph in the event with an emphatic victory . He covered he 423km from Calama to Iquique in Chile in his BMW in four hours 33 minutes 19 seconds . It left him one minute 24 seconds ahead of Qatar 's Nasser Al-Attiyah with race leader Carlos Sainz over three minutes back . The 45-year-old Frenchman has won the car section of the Dakar Rally three times and is a six-time motorcycle winner . Sainz , who has seen his overall lead over Peterhansel cut to two minutes 26 seconds , and Volkwagen teammate Al-Attiyah , both had navigational problems in the dunes to lose time . Al-Attiyah , who won the third stage , is two minutes 33 seconds back in third in a tight battle for race honors . Peterhansel is optimistic that he can secure his 10th Dakar Rally triumph . `` The first three places in the general standings are separated by three minutes , '' he told the official race website . `` That 's good . I hope it stays like that until the rest day , that way we 'll have a thrilling end to the race . Everything is still possible for us . '' Portugal 's Paulo Goncalves , riding a BMW , won the motorbike section with Chile 's Aprilia rider Francisco Lopez taking second . Dutchman Frans Verhoeven , on another BMW , was third with overall leader Marc Coma of Spain on a KTM . Coma 's arch rival and defending champion Cyril Despres of France was fifth . Despres stays second in the overall standings despite being handed a 10-minute penalty overnight for a technical infringement as he did not follow the official race route at the start .
Stephane Peterhansel wins the fifth stage of the Swedish Rally in his BMW . He follows up on overall championship leader Carlos Sainz . Portugal 's Paulo Costa takes motorbike section on a BMW .