Intro:

Debutant Matthias Walkner picks up first stage victory in bikes with Orlando Terranova winning stage three in the cars of the Dakar Rally on Tuesday (6th January) in Argentina.

Script:

Matthias Walkner notched up his first stage win in the Dakar Rally on the bikes.

Stage three was 232km for the cars from San Juan to Chilecito.

Although one of the shorter tracks of the Rally, there were some tricky canyons and steep peaks to challenge the contenders.

Joan Barreda remains at the top of the general rankings, followed by Paulo Goncalves in second.

Barreda secured his lead with a third place finish on the day.

Walkner's win moves him up to third.

Carlos Sainz seems to be getting to grips with his new Peugeot car.

He finished fourth for the day four minutes behind the day's winner Orlando Terranova.

Nasser Al-Attiyah remains in the lead overall though despite finishing behind Sainz on stage 3.

Tomorrow's route takes the riders from Chilecito to Copiapo.

The rally runs until January 17th, when it finishes up back in Buenos Aires.