THERE is little to separate motorbikers Steven Rogers and Kurt Luby as they get ready to enter the second week of the gruelling Dakar Rally.

Steven, from Farnworth, and Kurt, from Stoneclough, are around a third of the way through the energy-sapping 6,900-mile rally, which takes in some of the world's most inhospitable terrain. After seven days of racing through France and Spain, the two riders have reached north Africa with Steven in 164th place and Kurt in 132nd in the bikes class.

The two bikers today set off on the eighth stage, through Mauritania from Atar to Tidjikja.

Both riders are classed as privateers, as neither of them are backed by one of the major works teams which competes in the race.

It means that both Steven and Kurt, who paid £6,500 each to enter the race, have to carry out their own repairs on their Honda XR650 machines.

The two riders are out on the demanding 17-stage course for up to 14 hours a day as they bid to make their way from the Auvergne region of central France to the finish line in Dakar, Senegal.

Their route takes in deserts, villages, rocky terrain and even a tropical forest.

Former World Rally champion Colin McRae is also competing, in the rally's car class - although he ran into trouble on day five when he was given a time penalty for driving too fast.

Steven's family admit that they have been eagerly charting his progress as he tries to complete the race for the first time in three attempts.

His wife Yvonne and mother Kath Thorpe have also been trying to keep in contact with the 32-year-old, who is the licensee of Bolton Snooker Club.

Kath said: "Since he got to Africa, he's not been able to get a signal on his phone, so he can't ring us.

"We're hoping that he's going to complete the race. We watch the highlights programme on Eurosport every night."

Kurt, aged 40, is the more experienced of the two local competitors, having twice won the British Formula Ford 1600 championship and once taken the British Grand Touring Car title.

But Steven has the better knowledge of the route, having twice before tried - and failed - to complete the rally in a 20-year-old Land Rover.

"Steven's always loved Africa," said Kath. "When he finished his A-levels at Smithills, he told us that he wasn't going to university - and that instead he was going to drive to Africa with a friend of his."

She added: "We're all hoping he'll get to the finish, but there's a long way to go yet, so we're not looking that far ahead."