Henk Lategan’s lead of the Dakar Rally melted to 21 seconds after a chaotic seventh stage for timings in the Saudi desert on Sunday.

Henk Lategan’s overall lead was slashed to 21 seconds as a road book note error caused many drivers at the front of the field to lose their bearings, forcing Dakar Rally organisers to erase any gains or losses for a 20km stretch during Sunday’s stage seven.

Toyota's South African Henk Lategan stretched his Dakar Rally lead on Thursday while a 10- minute penalty denied Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah a first stage win for Dacia after a dominant day in the Saudi Arabian desert.

Henk Lategan and Daniel Sanders held their leads when the Dakar Rally resumed on Saturday while admitting not wanting to push too hard before tougher stages to the finish in the Saudi desert.

Henk Lategan's overall Dakar Rally lead was cut to seven minutes and 16 seconds as Yazeed Al-Rajhi closed the gap to the South African despite issues with his car, while Mini's Guillaume de Mevius and Joao Ferreira were the first two to finish stage six in Saudi Arabia.