Spain's defending motorbike champion Marc Coma reduced the overall lead of bitter rival Cyril Despres to just 16 seconds after Wednesday's 10th stage of the Dakar Rally. Neither won the stage – that honour went to Coma's compatriot Joan Barreda Bort – but Coma came in second to make significant headway in his bid to deprive Despres of a fourth Dakar win. Despres – whose relations with KTM teammate Coma deteriorated after stewards' halved the Frenchman's huge deficit Monday's stage – came in fourth. The cars were still out on the route but the whole complexion of the race had been turned on its head with a decision taken off piste. American Robby Gordon's hopes of winning took a major hit Wednesday when stewards ruled that he should be thrown out of the event because his Hummer's engine did not conform to race regulations. A source close to the organizers revealed that the 43-year-old – who is pressing overall leader Stephane Peterhansel hard for the car title – would appeal the decision and was allowed to continue competing in the 10th stage. The ultimate decision rests with motorsport's governing body, the FIA.
