Amid news of KTM rider Jose Manuel Perez’s death on Monday, team-mate Cyril Depres dedicated his stage win to the Spaniard as conditions continue to threaten the race.
Amid news of KTM rider Jose Manuel Perez’s death on Monday, team-mate Cyril Depres dedicated his stage win to the Spaniard as conditions continue to threaten the race.
After Sunday’s rest day, competitors took to the Atar loop after negotiating sand dunes and ergs on the 483-kilometre route.
In the Bike competition, Depres overtook Fabrizio Meoni for the overall lead, and was emotional about the day’s win in light of the conditions the riders have had to face in this year’s race.
“Concerning the news about Jose Manuel Perez’s death, it’s very sad and I want to dedicate my victory to him.”
Depres and Meoni had to chase down another KTM rider, Isidre Esteve Pujol, who finished the stage in third position, which bumped him into fourth place overall relegating South Africa’s Alfie Cox to fifth.
David Fretigne, the only non-KTM rider in the top ten, finished the stage in fourth on his Yamaha.
In the Car section, Stephane Peterhansel took victory on the tenth stage to extend his overall lead over Mitsubishi team-mate Luc Alphand by more than 20 minutes. Both drivers look set for a Dakar victory, with Volkswagen’s Jutta Kleinschmidt continuing to track the two after her third-place finish on Monday.
South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers and Nissan team-mate Ari Vatanen got stuck in sand before reaching checkpoint two. The drivers went on to finish in sixth and fifth places, respectively, leaving de Villiers in fourth place overall.
Defending Truck category champion Vladimir Tchaguine’s rally problems have resurfaced, though he managed to finish second behind overall leader and Kamaz team-mate, Firdaus Kabirov.
Kabirov holds a commanding overall lead over Hans Bekx’s DAF, which finished the stage in fourth place ahead of Yoshimasa Sugarwara’s Hino. Jan de Rooy (DAF) was third.