Cordoba, Argentina - Volkswagen played it safe on Friday at the Dakar Rally as Giniel de Villiers retained his overall lead ahead of team-mate Mark Miller in the penultimate timed stage won by Nani Roma of Spain.

VW took no chances the day after its then leader Carlos Sainz of Spain had to retire after crashing into a ravine as they drove in a convoy for most of the stage.

La Rioja, Argentina  - A total of 219 participants have retired from the 2009 Dakar Rally and 1,225 kilometres of racing had to be scrapped, organizers said Friday.

The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) - in charge of the rally which takes place in Argentina and Chile - on Friday called off 324 kilometres of the stage that was originally set to take participants from La Rioja to Cordoba, in Argentina.

Buenos Aires - Argentina coach Diego Maradona on Friday named Barcelona striker Lionel Messi "the best (player) in the world," even through Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo was crowned 2008 World Footballer.

"I voted for Cristiano Ronaldo, Adebayor and Ibrahimovic, because I could not vote for Messi," said Maradona. "Logically, the best in the world, for me, is Messi."

La Rioja, Argentina  - Giniel de Villers won Thursday's Dakar Rally stage and reclaimed the overall lead because Spain's Carlos Sainz was forced to abandon the race on a day of mixed emotions for the Volkswagen team.

The two-time rally world champion Sainz and his co-pilot Michel Perin drove their VW Touareg into a ravine. Sainz escaped unhurt and could have continued but Perin sustained a shoulder injury which ended their title hopes.

La Rioja, Argentina - Carlos Sainz' dream of the Dakar Rally title ended on Thursday when the Spaniard was forced to withdraw in leading position, reportedly after a crash, making American Mark Miller the new frontrunner.

The official Dakar website said that the VW Touareg driver Sainz and his French co-pilot Michel Perin were taken by helicopter to a bivouac in Fiambala where Thursday's stage to La Rioja with a timed section of 253 kilometres had started.

They reportedly had an accident 79km into the stage, with Perin said to have injured his shoulder when their car went into a ravine.

Mercedes, Argentina - Part of the adventure was getting there. Our off-road vehicle jolted along the dirt road from the small city of Mercedes to the Ibera wetlands in north-eastern Argentina's Corrientes province. After 120 kilometres, plenty of potholes and even more patience, we reached the hamlet of Colonia Carlos Pellegrini, gateway to Esteros del Ibera, a vast amphibious nature reserve teeming with flora and fauna.

"In the language of the Indians, 'Ibera' basically means 'gleaming, glowing, shining water,'" said Jose Martin, our Argentine tour guide. From a gaucho family, Martin still speaks Guarani, the language of the region's aboriginal inhabitants. It is spoken deep in the throat and sounds somewhat gurgled.