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Stéphane Peterhansel (car), Jordi Viladoms (motorbike), Lionel Laine (quadbike) and Tomas Tomecek (truck) are the first leaders of the Rally of Morocco-Shamrock 2009. This first leg has left the chances of the three main competitors (Cyril Despres (motorcycle 450 cc+), Olivier Pain (motorbike 450 cc) and Lionel Laine (quad) intact.

With two immediate leaders, the likes of Stéphane Peterhansel and Jordi Viladoms (motorcycle), the Rally of Morocco Shamrock 2009 has set itself in sound foundations. After this short first stage with only 277, 22 km on the clock, ideal for a good warm-up as the organization had presented it, it appears that the BMW X-Raid team will be the “rockets" of the event.

With his teammate Jean-Paul Cottret, Peterhansel scores big. Winner of the first two loops, the Frenchman, made a quick mark in his new team, and relegated Russian teammate Leonid Novitsky to 9'09''and the Belgian Joost Van Cauwenberg (Team Overdrive /Nissan) to more than 26 minutes. If these “rockets” keep the pace and prove as reliable and resistant, as they are fast, the final third place will be worth its weight in gold.

Today's Car Classification: Jean-Noël Julien (Team MD Rallye Sport on Renault) 4th, Philippe Vandromme (Buggy MD), 5th and Etienne Smulevici (Buggy SMG), 6th despite a puncture.

Today's Motorbike Classification: Jordi Viladoms heads the scratch. The Spaniard on KTM 690 Rally, snatches stage victory in the second loop, exciting stuff! Marc Coma and Cyril Despres, both dominated the arrival of the first loop, but later complained of having to "swallow" too much dust on the second.

He has come here for the 450 cc, world champion title and already Olivier Pain is proving to be a great contender scoring high in the scratch time, he is third behind Viladoms and Coma, in front of Despres (4th), Ullevalseter (5th), Przytgonski (6th).

First of the quadbikes to pass the finish line, 21st in the general motorcycle scratch, Lionel Laine on KTM 525, has all the right qualities to become world champion in 2009 .Last but not least, In the truck category, hostilities are just beginning between the Portuguese Elisabete Jacinto, world champion and Russian Tomas Tomecek, winner of the day.

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