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.

Sainz won six of the 10 stages contested so far and led by 27 minutes 31 seconds from Miller, with South African Giniel de Villers another 20 minutes behind in third place for a triple VW lead heading into Thursday's stage.

The Dakar Rally ends on Sunday in Buenos Aires. (dpa)