Sebastien Loeb extended his lead as Peugeot completed another 1-2-3 finish in stage 10. Stephane Peterhansel came in third after a collision that left a motorcyclist with a broken leg and could yet be awarded the win.After a tricky start, Loeb finished 2 min 33 sec ahead of teammate Cyril Despres and nearly seven minutes ahead of Peterhansel, who stopped for some time to assist motorbike rider Simon Marcic after colliding with the Slovenian.
The accident occurred 83km into the special stage from Chilecito to San Juan in Argentina, leaving Marcic with an open left leg fracture, organisers said.
Peterhansel can reclaim at least some of his lost time because the rally rules state that if a competitor stops to help another for more than three minutes, they can claw back some of the time they lost. This may even mean the stage is awarded to Peterhansel.
In what now looks to be a two horse race, Loeb started 1 min 38sec clear of Peterhansel in the overall standings. Before Peterhansel gets any time back, the gap stands at 8min23sec.
Stage 10 was Peugeot’s third podium clean sweep and the three drivers who dominated stage 10 are the same three who look set to finish in the top three places. Despres in third is almost an hour clear of Toyota’s Nani Roma with just two stages remaining.
mp (AFP/SID)
