Elmer Symons, a South African motorcycle rider, died in a crash on the fourth day of the Dakar Rally in Morocco, organizers said on Tuesday.

Elmer Symons

The death of the rider overshadowed the fourth day of the Rally in Morocco.

Symons, a 29-year-old company manager, whose firm exported metal parts from the United States to South Africa, was competing in his first Dakar Rally.

"Today at 9.16, the race headquarters received an in-track alert coming from km 142 of the fourth stage from Er Rachidia to Ouarzazate," organizers said.

"On the site of the crash by helicopter eight minutes later, the race direction could only record the death, confirmed 10 minutes later by the medical helicopter," they added.

While Spain's double world rally champion Carlos Sainz stretched his overall lead in the car category with compatriot Marc Coma scaling the motorcycle standings, earlier events reinforced the rally's deadly reputation.

The race has now claimed 49 lives in its 29-year existence, 24 of them competitors.

Organizers said in a statement on the rally Web site (www.dakar.com) that KTM rider Symons, a 29-year-old resident in the United States, was killed in a crash on the sandy 405km stage between Er Rachidia and Ouarzazate.

He was competing for the first time in the desert rally as a driver, helped by his brother Kingsley, after following two previous editions as part of an assistance team.

Symons had been 18th overall in the event, considered one of the most challenging and dangerous in the world of motor-sport, which ends in the Senegalese capital on January 21.

The Dakar started in Portugal on Saturday under a previous cloud of safety and security concerns.

Two children were killed by rally vehicles last year while Australian motorcyclist Andy Caldecott died in a separate crash.

The year before, motorcyclists Juan Manuel Perez of Spain and Italy's Fabrizio Meoni were killed while competing.

After Tuesday's stage, Sainz led Volkswagen team mate Giniel de Villiers of South Africa by one minute and 55 seconds with Portugal's Carlos Sousa in third place as competitors confronted their first dunes. France's Jean-Louis Schlesser won the stage.

Former skiing champion and current title-holder Luc Alphand of France was sixth overall for Mitsubishi while team mate and multiple winner Stephane Peterhansel dropped back due to a burned out clutch.

Defending champion Coma took the overall lead in the motorcycle section from compatriot Isidre Esteve after dominating the day and is now storming ahead with a 12 minutes lead.

(Source: China Daily/Agencies January 10, 2007)