LA RIOJA, Argentina \u2014 Stephane Peterhansel held on to his commanding lead in the car category of the Dakar Rally after finishing third in Tuesday\u2019s 10th stage.<\/p>\n
The Frenchman, in prime position to win his 11th Dakar title, had few problems on the 221.83-mile (357 kilometers) stage from Cordoba to La Rioja in northern Argentina.<\/p>\n
Argentine Orlando Terranova won the stage with Joan Roma of Spain finishing second, 2 minutes, 7 seconds behind. Peterhansel was 12 seconds further back.<\/p>\n
Peterhansel leads Giniel de Villiers of South Africa by 52:38 in the overall standings.<\/p>\n
In a closer contest in the bikes, defending champion Cyril Despres regained the overall lead, 1:37 in front of KTM teammate Ruben Faria and 13:14 ahead of Francisco Lopez of Chile.<\/p>\n
Spanish rider Joan Barreda Bort won the stage, 1:15 ahead of Despres and 2:44 in front of Paulo Goncalves of Portugal. Faria finished eighth.<\/p>\n
It was the fourth stage victory in this year\u2019s Dakar for Barreda Bort.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a shame I had problems with the bike at the start of the rally, otherwise I would have been at the front,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost importantly, I\u2019ve never made any navigation mistakes. I\u2019ve always been out in front at a good pace. I\u2019ve been doing well on several stages. All in all, on this rally consistency is the key.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despres said Barreda Bort was keeping him motivated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t slow down,\u201d he said. \u201cI managed to keep the pace. The bike again worked well and suffered less than yesterday. It\u2019s always nice to speed along over 360 kilometers without scaring myself.\u201d<\/p>\n