Rallying: Rider dies of injuries

Jose Manuel Perez, the Spanish motorcyclist, has died following injuries sustained on the Dakar Rally.

The 41-year-old crashed his KTM when in 45th position last Thursday and was operated on for serious abdominal injuries in Zouerat in Western Sahara. He died in a hospital in Alicante, Spain, yesterday.

In the motorcycle category yesterday, Cyril Despres took the overall lead with a win on stage 10 around the city of Atar in Mauritania. He now leads Fabrizio Meoni by 9min 20sec.

In the car class, Stéphane Peterhansel's stage 10 victory marginally extended his lead in the overall standings to more than 21 minutes.