Defending Dakar Rally champion Nasser Al-Attiyah was forced out of the 2012 edition Tuesday when his temperamental Hummer broke down again, organiZers reported. The 31-year-old Qatari driver has been plagued by problems since the start in Mar Del Plata on New Year's Day. He lined up for Tuesday's ninth stage in sixth position overall, eight minutes behind leader Stephane Peterhansel, having struggled to make up the loss of 10 minutes on the opening stage. Al-Attiyah, who is hoping to compete in his third Olympic Games in shooting at London 2012, lost more precious time when he was forced to make three unscheduled stops on the 556km run between Antofagasta and Iquique. Initial reports suggest his American-backed Hummer had suffered problems with its alternator. He decided to call time on his title defense at the 174km mark of the timed special in a race in which, despite his mechanical gremlins, he still managed to post the fastest times in the second and seventh stages. Among the catalogue of mechanical setbacks he has suffered have been a broken radiator and an errant spare wheel. Meanwhile, Cyril Despres regained the upper hand in his ding dong battle with motorcycle rival Marc Coma Tuesday. The French KTM rider and three-time champion responded to Coma's win Monday before when taking the 556km ninth stage from Antofogasta which finished with a dramatic descent down an 800-meter high dune. Despres, who timed 5hr 04min 33sec with defending champion Coma coming in 3min 54sec behind, replaced the Spaniard at the top of the overall rankings. With five days racing to go Despres holds a lead of 2min 28sec. Coma's compatriot Nani Roma of Spain won his second stage of the race in the car section in his Mini though French Dakar legend Stephane Peterhansel retained the overall lead.
