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Dakar Rally: Stage 9 cancelled due to poor weather

Bolivia - Dakar Rally organisers have decided to cancel Monday's stage from Tupiza to Salta in Argentina.

Stage 9, which was set to feature a 242km timed section, has been cancelled due to poor weather.

Southern Bolivia has been hit by heavy rain and the Dakar Rally's camp in Tupiza has been flooded as well.

The rally is expected to resume on Tuesday with the 10th stage between Salta and Belen in Argentina.

'Not the best conditions'

Dakar Rally sporting director Marc Coma said: "The stage is cancelled because there's a lot of water in the bivouac today, and tomorrow we're expecting some storms as well. These are not the best conditions to hold the stage.

"We prefer not to take any risks."

Last year's rally was also hit by weather problems after torrential rain, and then a huge mudslide, forced organisers to scrap two stages, while the opening stage of the 2016 event was cancelled after parts of the course were left flooded.

Peterhansel wins Stage 8

Stephane Peterhansel won Sunday's eighth stage of the Dakar Rally from Uyuni to Tupiza in Bolivia, a day after suspension failure dealt the veteran a crushing blow to his title hopes.

Peterhansel, bidding for a third successive triumph on four wheels, lost almost two hours to Spaniard Carlos Sainz on Saturday when he ground to a halt after hitting a stone while trying to pass another competitor.


But the 52-year-old shook off that setback to finish Sunday's 498km run in 5hr 15min 18sec, less than a minute ahead of compatriot and Peugeot team mate Cyril Despres.

Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah was 2min 12sec behind in third in his Toyota but 2010 champion Sainz still leads by over an hour despite trailing home in fifth place.

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