Spain's Joan Roma wins 10th stage of Dakar Rally

Joan Roma of Spain won the 10th stage of the Dakar Rally on Wednesday ahead of Mini teammate Stephane Peterhansel of France, who finished 21 seconds behind to extend his overall lead in the car category. Peterhansel leads Roma by 19 minutes, 5 seconds. He's nearly 20 minutes ahead of American driver Robby Gordon, who was fourth in the 377-kilometer (234-mile) special stage. In motorbikes, Joan Barreda Bort of Spain won with countryman and defending champion Marc Coma 1:32 back. Cyril Despres of France is 3:39 behind. Despres of France leads KTM teammate Coma overall by 21 seconds. The motorbikes race is going down to the wire as the rally moves Thursday into Peru and ends three days later in the capital Lima. "At this level, every second counts," Despres said. "It's a scenario that I thought might happen, so I'm not surprised. I'm just happy to have got through another day. In any case, staying out in front for the whole 377 kilometers while riding flat out isn't easy." Coma says the winner might be decided on the final day. "It's the tone that's been set for the rally and I think we'll keep on battling until the end," Coma said. "We keep trying to make the difference all the time and the entry into Peru will be decisive. The race will hinge on the smallest of margins." The rally began Jan. 1 in Mar del Plata, Argentina.