Landslide cancels Dakar ninth stage

A massive landslide caused by thunderstorms forced the cancellation of yesterday’s ninth stage of the Dakar Rally in Argentina, organisers said. They said the road to Tuesday’s overnight bivouac had been blocked 40km north of Jujuy.
The landslide hit the village of Volcan and caused considerable damage. “As the road is cut off, most of the vehicles, competitors, assistance and logistics from the Dakar caravan were diverted on an alternative route through San Antonio de los Cobres, extending the distance by about 200km,” the race organisers said. “They will not be able to reach the Salta bivouac in time to start the race.”
The competitors instead spent yesterday travelling to Chilecito for 10th stage. France’s Sebastien Loeb leads the car category for Peugeot with British rider Sam Sunderland top of the motorcycle standings. On Tuesday, Loeb won the eighth stage and recaptured the lead from teammate Stephane Peterhansel as the Frenchmen led the field back into Argentina from Bolivia.
Qatar’s Mohamed Abu Issa, driving the X-Raid Mini finds himself in 12th place in the overall standings. The Qatari along with navigator Xavier Panseri finished 17th in Stage 8. He is currently three hours and 34 minutes behind Loeb. Mohamed had said that his aim was to finish in the top-15, in what is his first Dakar in the car category, and he looks on track to achieve that.