Dakar Rally: Sainz loses lead when he drops out after accident

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Dakar Rally leader Carlos Sainz dropped out of the race after crashing into a ravine during today's 12th stage.

Sainz was not injured, but the two-time world rally champion from Spain and his French teammate Michel Perin were taken by helicopter to Fiambala, where the stage began, Dakar Rally spokeswoman Emilie Poucan told The Associated Press.

Poucan said Sainz could have continued but Perin broke "something in his arm," forcing the pair to pull out of the event.

Sainz missed a sharp turn and his Volkswagen flipped and tumbled 13 feet into a dried-out ravine at the 49-mile mark of the 157-mile stage to La Rioja.

A sign marking the turn read "dangerous" but should have read "extremely dangerous," said Perin, according to the Dakar Rally Web site.

"The car behind us, Nani Roma's car, would have fallen in the same hole as we did if we had not been there already," he said.

Giniel De Villiers of South Africa won the stage and took the overall lead.

De Villiers won in 4:06:43 for his third stage victory this year. Mark Miller of the United States was second, 16:17 behind. He had been leading at the first and second checkpoints. NASCAR regular Robby Gordon of the United States was 25:27 back in third in his Hummer.

Today's stage -- the 12th of 14 -- was the most difficult since the rally began Jan. 3 in Buenos Aires, said Poucan, with drivers struggling through sand dunes and rain in western Argentina.

Sainz, who won six of the 10 stages, began Thursday's leg more than 27 minutes ahead of Miller, also in a Volkswagen, and 41:13 ahead of De Villiers.

The Spaniard was in third place at the first checkpoint, 43 seconds behind Miller after 62 kilometers (39 miles). Miller was leading at the second checkpoint.

The rally covering 5,950 miles ends Sunday in Buenos Aires.