Coma wins controversial Stage 8 at Dakar Rally

Marc Coma's clear victory on Stage 8 of the Dakar Rally, a 477-kilometer stretch between Copiapo and Antofagasta, was later muddied by a controversial decision on the part of race officials that effectively wiped out the more than 17 minutes the Spaniard had taken from his French rival, Cyril Despres.

Coma started out first in the bikes category, and after a navigation error in the first few kilometers the Spaniard came across a river that had turned into a huge mud flat. Duly avoiding the obstacle, Coma plowed ahead as those riders following him, including erstwhile race leader Despres, became bogged down in the mire. It took some 10 minutes for the Frenchman and Portugal's Paulo Gonçalves to extract themselves, by which time Coma, aware of their plight, had forged a huge stage lead.

However, shortly after the finish, race organizers decided to return the time lost to riders caught in the riverbed. Dakar officials explained that after the seventh rider had set off, it was decided to alter the course for the day as unexpected rainfall had made the stretch "impractical."

Despres regained 8m06s and Gonçalves, fifth overall, 9m34s. Coma won the stage nevertheless, his 20th stage win at the Dakar Rally, but saw his overall lead on Despres slashed to 1m26s.

"It's difficult to understand the decision," Coma said. "The rally has always rewarded those who overcome the difficulties presented but in this case they've done the exact opposite."