LONDON -- Britain's former world rally champion Colin McRae chalked up his first Dakar win on Wednesday with a resounding victory in the 13th stage after a troubled week.

The Scot, driving a Nissan pickup in his debut Dakar, reached the final checkpoint of the 478-kilometer stage between the Malian capital Bamako and Ayoun el Atrous 25 minutes faster than Mitsubishi's defending champion Hiroshi Masuoka.

He was the first British driver to win a Dakar stage since Andrew Cowan for Mitsubishi in 1990 and he led a Nissan 1-2-3 with South African Giniel de Villiers second and Finland's Ari Vatanen third.

France's Stephane Peterhansel remained comfortably in the overall lead, one hour two minutes and 29 seconds ahead of team mate Masuoka with compatriot and former downhill skier Luc Alphand third in a BMW.

McRae has struggled to stay in the rally in the past week after impressive early form.

His Nissan was stuck in the desert dunes last Friday but his continued presence was ensured when organizers cancelled the weekend stages before a scheduled rest day after reports of armed bandits in Mali.

The break allowed McRae time to repair his vehicle and he managed to reach the rally bivouac before Monday night's deadline.

In the motorcycle category, Spain's Nani Roma stayed ahead of his rivals after Frenchman David Fretigne took his third stage win of the event.

Roma, who fell off his KTM in a near-miss with a cow, leads Richard Sainct by seven minutes and 25 seconds.