Five stages remain in the event which started in Lima, Peru, and ends in Argentine city of Cordoba on January 20.
ADVERTISEMENTDay 10 of the Dakar rally between Salta and Belen in Argentina, and organisers will be well and truly hoping they have left the bad weather behind them.
Monday's ninth stage in Bolivia had to be cancelled due to rain and flooding.
Despite a 10-minute penalty for allegedly hitting a quadbike and failing to stop, Spain's Carlos Sainz is nearly an hour in front of his nearest rival, Nasser al-Attiyah in the Toyota.
Al-Attiyah is in a battle for second place with Sainz' Peogeot team-mate Stephane Peterhansel. The Frenchman, who has won the Dakar rally a record 13 times, lies some seven minutes behind the Qatari.
The world's most famous off-road race is set to finish in the Argentine city of Cordoba on Saturday.