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

Nikolaev finished third, 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.

Stage winner Stacey grabbed the day's victory by completing the track between the cities of Salta and Termas de Rio Hondo ( Argentina) in 2:08:11. His compatriot Gerard de Rooy (Iveco) took second place by 1:10.

Nikolaev ensured his spot on the podium by coming in 1:56 later, while Mardeev trailed far behind, lagging by 4:06.

Mardeev's total accumulated time so far is 38:24:13, followed closely by Nikolaev and the third Russian competitor in the truck race Andrey Karginov (Kamaz).

In the next to last day of the rally Friday, racers will battle it out across a long (726 km liaison and 298 km special) cross- country journey from Termas de Rio Hondo to Rosario, in Santa Fe province.

Racers will still have an opportunity to "shake up" the general standings or lose their hard-won place, according to organizers. Endite

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