The absence of the Atacama Desert during the tenth stage of Dakar brought Marc Coma a pleasant taste of home. The terrain shifts from the sandy and rolling dunes of the desert, into long, winding and mountainous roads, similar to the practice terrain of Coma’s Catalonia.
Coma used this to his advantage and maintained the lead throughout the day and finished with his fourth stage win of this Dakar. Despite being out of the race in terms of the overall standings, Coma is set to have the most stage wins. 
“I went looking for victory. I started first and opened the road for the whole stage,” Coma said. “Trying to claw back some time is difficult too. But we did it, so I’m happy, even proud – all thanks to the team.”
Cyril Despres, who finished sixth for the day, only lost four minutes from his overall hour and 20-minute lead. A seasoned veteran, Despres knows that the most important thing now is to protect his lead, his bike, and himself.
“I protected my lead,” Despres said. “There was no need to go on all out attack.”
The race for second place, however, continues to tighten. Ullevalseter, who sits two minutes in front of both Contardo and Rodriguez, may be at a disadvantage for the next couple of days. Riding a larger, 650 KTM, he could lose precious seconds on the winding mountainous roads to Contardo and Rodriguez’s 450cc machines.
