The team spirit in the Peugeot camp was evident during Stage 11, as Despres sacrificed his sixth place overall to X-raid Mini driver Nani Roma to help Loeb.

The five-time Dakar bikes champion finished the day seventh, 2m19s behind Roma, after stopping to aid Loeb, who had stopped 2km from the finish.

"Two kilometres from the end [of the stage], we saw that Sebastien with a rope in his hand. He asked for help which we did," he told Motorsport.com.

"It was a difficult day, we lacked rhythm and five kilometers from the end we had a puncture.

"I do not want to think about [losing a position]. I came only to do the best I can; I do not want to put any pressure [on myself]."

"Part of the game"

Despite his late problems, Loeb still finished second on the day behind Nasser Al-Attiyah.

"It was a good day, although we had problems with the engine and transmission in the car," he said to Motorsport.com.

"In the end it worked well and we finished second, a good result, especially after a difficult stage. We had to stop a few times, but it's part of the game.

"We had problems towards the end and asked for help from Cyril, otherwise it would have been difficult to finish."

Loeb, who lies ninth overall with two stages to go, also noted that the day was among the more challenging from a navigational standpoint.

"It's different from a WRC event, there have been difficult days - this is all new to me," he said. "The stage was long and required navigation, so we can be satisfied with the work we have done."

Interviews by Luis Ramirez