In the closest finish of the 2015 race yet, the first four cars crossed the line within two minutes of each other in a pulsating end to the 688 kilometer (427 mile) stage from Antofagasta to Iquique on the Pacific coast.

Ultimately it was Al-Attiyah and his French co-driver Matthieu Baumel who claimed their third stage win of this year's rally in their Mini All4. They held off a determined challenge from the South African-German duo of Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz (Toyota).

Following close behind were defending champion Nani Roma (Spain) and Michel Perin (France) in their Mini All4, and the Buggy Gordini of American pairing Robby Gordon and Johnny Campbell.

The result meant that Al-Attiyah/Baumel edged a further 37 seconds ahead of Villiers/von Zitzewitz in the overall classification in the car event.

Perhaps symbolically for the 82 surviving cars of the 137 which started stage 1, the halfway point of the grueling off-road rally was reached in the northern Chilean town hit hardest by the April 1, 2014 earthquake.

Saturday, however, marks the start of the marathon section, where drivers are barred from using their support teams over two days of racing. The marathon begins with a 717-km route from Iquique into Bolivia past the Salar de Uyuni - the largest salt flat in the world.

In total, around 400 competitors began the 2015 Dakar Rally, in cars, trucks, motorbikes and quad bikes. The race ends on January 17 in Buenos Aires.

pwh/ (dpa, SID)