The Dakar continues, and the good news from South America is that Luca Manca is continuing to improve in hospital following his very nasty bike accident last week.

At the front of the bike race after stage 11, it’s still Cyril Despres by a country mile, with Francisco Lopez Contardo and Pal Anders Ullevalseter battling for 2nd. Marc Coma‘s six hours plus of time penalties has him down in 16th, but he’s banging in stage wins nonetheless.

In the cars, meanwhile, it’s still Carlos Sainz in front, but his lead over Nasser Al-Attiyah is now under five minutes. A third Volkswagen, of Mark Miller, is in 3rd waiting to capitalise if they have problems.

But there’s one man conspicuous by his absence from this year’s Dakar – and last year’s, for that matter, but it didn’t occur to me then. That man is Jean-Louis Schlesser, who won the 1999 and 2000 editions of the Dakar, both in his own Schlesser Buggy.

For the last two years, Schlesser has been the highest profile competitor in the Africa Eco Race, which was established after the Dakar was cancelled in 2007 and moved to South America in 2008. He won last year, and he’s just done it again, with an hour and a half gap to his nearest competitor.

It’s worth reading Schlesser’s Wikipedia entry, if you’ve the mind to. I didn’t realise, for example, that he had a very brief, but memorable Formula 1 career, or that he raced in the British Touring Car Championship.

But then, there is a great deal that I don’t know.