Sainz stretches overall lead in 8th stage
Source: Agencies |
January 12, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
TWO-TIME World Rally champion Carlos Sainz has stretched his overall lead in the Dakar Rally with a second-place finish behind Stephane Peterhansel in Sunday's eighth stage from Antofagasta to Copiapo in the Atacama desert.
In motorbikes, Chilean rider Contardo Lopez won the stage, but Cyril Despres stayed far in front in the overall standings by finishing fifth.
Sainz of Spain leads Volkswagen teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar by 14 minutes, 35 seconds in the car category's overall standings. American Mark Miller is third, 22:28 off the pace.
Despres is a huge 1:20:31 ahead of Pal Anders Ullevalseter of Norway.
The rally ends on Saturday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Sainz and Despres look like the winners.
"I'm very pleased because the hardest stages are behind us now," Sainz said. "It was a good stage because I've increased the gap between me and Nasser a bit."
Peterhansel, the nine-time winner from France, won the 472-kilometer stage in 5:06:05 in a BMW - 45 seconds ahead of Sainz and 1:07 in front of Miller.
Lopez won the bike stage in 5:29:25 on his Aprilia, 42 seconds in front of defending champion Marc Coma on a KTM. Ullevalseter was 1:22 behind the winner.
Coma has been plagued by mechanical problems throughout the race, and on Saturday he was hit with a six-hour penalty by race stewards for illegally changing a tire during Friday's stage.
Coma threatened to pull out on Saturday - a rest day - but was back in the race on Sunday.
Coma was 19th in the overall standings after Sunday, 7:00:49 behind Despres.
"It was a difficult day, especially because of yesterday and this problem with the penalty," Coma said. "It really was a strange rest day, hard and unusual."
In motorbikes, Chilean rider Contardo Lopez won the stage, but Cyril Despres stayed far in front in the overall standings by finishing fifth.
Sainz of Spain leads Volkswagen teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar by 14 minutes, 35 seconds in the car category's overall standings. American Mark Miller is third, 22:28 off the pace.
Despres is a huge 1:20:31 ahead of Pal Anders Ullevalseter of Norway.
The rally ends on Saturday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Sainz and Despres look like the winners.
"I'm very pleased because the hardest stages are behind us now," Sainz said. "It was a good stage because I've increased the gap between me and Nasser a bit."
Peterhansel, the nine-time winner from France, won the 472-kilometer stage in 5:06:05 in a BMW - 45 seconds ahead of Sainz and 1:07 in front of Miller.
Lopez won the bike stage in 5:29:25 on his Aprilia, 42 seconds in front of defending champion Marc Coma on a KTM. Ullevalseter was 1:22 behind the winner.
Coma has been plagued by mechanical problems throughout the race, and on Saturday he was hit with a six-hour penalty by race stewards for illegally changing a tire during Friday's stage.
Coma threatened to pull out on Saturday - a rest day - but was back in the race on Sunday.
Coma was 19th in the overall standings after Sunday, 7:00:49 behind Despres.
"It was a difficult day, especially because of yesterday and this problem with the penalty," Coma said. "It really was a strange rest day, hard and unusual."
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