PARIS, Jan 10 - Mitsubishi kept a comfortable lead in the Dakar-Agades-Dakar rally after Friday's seventh stage from Menaka to Tahoua turned out to be a mere cruise from Mali to Niger.
The stage, scheduled to be 736-kms long, was cut to 381 kms because of political unrest in Niger, and proved far too easy to make any difference to the overall placings.
Frenchman Jean-Pierre Fontenay led a Mitsubishi convoy to the finish in three hours 20 minutes 31 seconds, with team mates Kenjiro Shinozuka of Japan and Bruno Saby of France finishing second and third, two minutes nine seconds and 3:07 behind respectively.
Overall, Shinozuka leads Fontenay by a mere 21 seconds.
Mitsubishi's main rival since their leader Jean-Louis Schlesser gave up, German Jutta Kleinschmidt, driving a Buggy, lost another 20 minutes on the Mitsubishi trio.
In the motorcycle section, Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel, riding a Yamaha, took it easy, finishing fifth in the stage less than five minutes behind the day's winner.
Spain's Carlos Sotelo gave Cagiva their first stage win of the rally.
His compatriot Jordi Arcarons, on a KTM, again lost five minutes to Peterhansel, who leads him by more than 80 minutes in the overall standings.
