Australia's hopes of grabbing a stage victory in the motorbike race at the Dakar Rally are looking increasingly forlorn as the Monster Energy Hondas, led by American Ricky Brabec, continue to dominate in the Saudi Arabian desert.
On Wednesday's 10th stage, a 371km route around AlUla, Brabec led home his teammates, Chilean Nacho Cornejo and Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren in a dominant 1-2-3, with only Australian Daniel Sanders, on his GasGas, getting close to the trio.
Sanders came home fourth on the stage, a creditable 47 seconds behind Brabec, who edged his teammate Cornejo by just two seconds to take his first stage victory of the race and increase his overall lead over Hero's Ross Branch to 10 minutes 54 seconds.
Sanders' efforts left him eighth, now just over an hour off the pace and, with two stages left, there looks little hope of either him or Australia's No.1 hope, Red Bull KTM rider Toby Price, grabbing an elusive stage win as the Hondas appear to be in complete control.
Two-time race winner Price, the only Australian ever to prevail in this toughest of races, has won a stage at each of the previous nine Dakars he has competed in, but his best in the edition has been the runner's up spot he battled to on the marathon 48-hour sixth stage.
He's now still in sixth, 42 minutes off the pace and some half-an-hour distant from even just nicking a place on the final podium, a feat he's achieved six times before.
There may still be a close finish in the cars category, with Sebastien Loeb slashing Carlos Sainz's lead to 13 minutes after both drivers suffered multiple punctures.
Nine-times world rally champion Loeb, in his Prodrive Hunter, finished 16th on the loop, with the stage being won by Toyota's Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit.
Sainz, 22nd in the stage, had three punctures but was rescued by Audi teammate Mattias Ekstrom providing a spare wheel.
The 61-year-old triple Dakar champion Sainz, father of the Ferrari F1 driver, leads Frenchman Loeb by 13 minutes 22 seconds.
The Australian Price might not have enjoyed the greatest day, finishing 10th on his stage, but his Californian namesake Sara Price had a good day, joining an elite list of female stage winners when she finished fastest in the SSV category.
With Reuters
