ZAMBIAN motocross champion David Reeve yesterday put up an impressive fourth stage round performance to finish 26th fastest and move into 44 overall position in the Bikes category at the ongoing 2013 Dakar Rally championships.

Reeve, who started the first stage with a 172 finish, has kept improving at each stage that passes moving from 69th in the second stage to 53rd in the third and now has a 44th place after timing an overall 11:38:53.

The motorbike section saw a change of hands in terms of the overall lead as Frenchman Olivier Pain, who timed 10:10:38, took over from compatriot and four-time winner Cyril Despres who is on 10:13: 47.

The stage was won by Spanish rider Joan Barreda Bort on a Husqvarna, who recorded his second stage win of this year's race in beating Pain by 8minutes 23seconds after finishing the stage with a time of 03:41:09, while another Frenchman David Casteu was third.

Pain leads Casteu in the overall standings by 2minutes 24seconds over second placed Castu on 10:13: 02 with defending champion Despres, dropping to third 3minutes 09seconds adrift.