Stephane Peterhansel is on course for victory in the Dakar Rally car race after winning Saturday's penultimate stage in Peru.
The Frenchman cruised to victory on the 171-mile leg between Nasca and Pisco, finishing 22 minutes 57 seconds ahead of nearest rival Nani Roma.
Spaniard Roma was seventh on Saturday, and while he remains second overall, he now trails fellow Mini driver Peterhansel by a sizeable 42:57.
South African driver Giniel de Villiers of Toyota was second in the stage, and sits third overall, 1.15:09 off the lead.
"It was not a stage we were trying to win. First and foremost, we wanted to avoid falling into traps, especially after getting stuck in the sand yesterday," Peterhansel said.
"It was the toughest stage of the entire Dakar with regard to the dunes."
"We were under psychological pressure because we came within an inch of losing the Dakar yesterday."
Peterhansel must now complete Sunday's short leg to the Peruvian capital Lima as he aims to secure a fourth victory in the Dakar car rally, to go with his six motorcycle titles.
Also on Saturday, Frenchman Cyril Despres of KTM closed in on victory in this year's motorcycle category.
Helder Rodrigues of Portugal took out the penultimate stage ahead of Despres, who saw nearest rival Marc Coma lose 12 minutes and 38 seconds to mechanical problems.
Despres now holds a lead of 11:03 over Spanish team-mate Coma going into the final day.
"I am not the kind of person who derives pleasure from the problems of team-mates, and even less when it is Marc Coma who is in trouble," he said.
"Today's stage was psychologically very tough. I always wait until the last day to enjoy things. I have seen so many things happen at the Dakar, and even more today. I want to stay calm and enjoy things a bit more."