San Juan de Marcona (Peru), Jan 9 (IANS): British motorcyclist Sam Sunderland and Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah impressed in the third stage of the Dakar Rally 2018.

Spanish driver Nani Roma, meanwhile, was forced to retire after upending his Mini just a kilometer from the end of the stage on Monday, reports Efe.

Though the 45-year-old former moto racer reached the finish line, he was evacuated after being diagnosed with head and cervical trauma.

Briton Sunderland (Red Bull KTM), the defending champion, came back from a rough race on Sunday to finish first in the motorbike category for the second time in three stages and take a lead of nearly five minutes over Argentina's Kevin Benavides (Monster Energy Honda).

In the car category, Qatari driver Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo) won Tuesday's stage to move up to third overall, within eight minutes of France's Stephane Peterhansel (Peugeot), a 13-time winner in the Dakar.

Peterhansel's compatriot and teammate, Cyril Despres, occupies the second spot.

Chile's Ignacio Casale (Casale Racing) took his third straight stage in the quads, while Argentine driver Federico Villagra (Iveco) won the stage to move up to second overall behind Eduard Nikolaev (Kamaz) of Russia.

In the SUV category, Peruvian brothers Juan Carlos and Javier Uribe (Can-Am Peru) triumphed for a second consecutive day and retain the lead.