Nikolaev hounds Mardeev in truck race of Dakar Rally

Dutchman Hans Stacey (Iveco) won the 11th stage of the 2015 Dakar Rally's truck race, though the real story unfolded in the rivalry between Russians Eduard Nikolaev and Airat Mardeev.

Nikolaev finished third Thursday, gaining two minutes over his compatriot, who finished in ninth place, but still heads the general standings with an 11-minute lead over his teammate, reports Xinhua.

Stage winner Stacey grabbed the day's victory by completing the track between the cities of Salta and Termas de Rio Hondo (Argentina) in two hours and 08.11 minutes. His compatriot Gerard de Rooy (Iveco) took second place by finishing a minute and 10 seconds behind Stacey.

Nikolaev ensured his spot on the podium by coming in a minute and 56 seconds later, while Mardeev trailed far behind, lagging by four minutes and six seconds. Mardeev's total accumulated time so far is 38.24.13 hours, followed closely by Nikolaev and the third Russian competitor in the truck race Andrey Karginov (Kamaz).