Briton Sunderland crashes out of Dakar defence

Sam Sunderland has now failed to finish the endurance rally six times out of 10 starts

Britain's Sam Sunderland said it was a "tough pill to swallow" after his title defence at the Dakar Rally ended with a crash on the opening stage.

Sunderland - a two-time winner of the motorbikes classification - broke a shoulder blade and suffered a concussion, and hematoma on his back.

"These moments are what make the victories so special," said Sunderland.

"Being out of Dakar on day one is a tough pill to swallow.

"I felt really good this morning and was leading for the short part of the stage I rode, then I missed a stone under the sand in a river bed and had a pretty violent crash."

Sunderland first claimed victory in the race in 2017, and remains the only Briton to have won the event in any category.

After Sunderland's crash, American Ricky Brabec took the lead by claiming the ninth stage win of his career. He leads Argentina's Kevin Benavides by 19 seconds.

• Can they identify The Traitors to win £120,000? Claudia Winkleman hosts a game of detection, backstabbing and trust
• Detective Strike tackles his first cold case: Watch the brand new series of Strike on BBC iPlayer