Russia's Vladimir Chagin, piloting his legendary Kamaz Team truck, has won the 10th leg of the 2010 Dakar Rally in Chile.
Five-time Dakar champion Chagin, who finished a minute and a half ahead of his countryman and teammate Firdaus Kabirov, has already won eight out of ten stages this year and has now taken the lead in the battle with Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel 'Peter' for the absolute record of stage victories (Chagin's 55 against Peterhansel's 54).
Frenchman Joseph Adua, driving an Iveco truck, finished the 10th leg of the rally in third place, losing just 14 seconds to reigning champion Kabirov.
In the overall standings, Chagin holds the lead and is 1 hour and 13 minutes ahead of Kabirov, who won the other two stages of this year's Dakar in the truck category, and is over 8.5 hours ahead of Marcel Van Vliet of the Netherlands, driving a Ginaf truck.
The 2010 Dakar Rally is the 32nd annual event. It is taking place in South America for the second successive year and runs until January 16. Last year marked the first time that the rally, founded in 1979, had taken place outside Africa, due to safety reasons.
Teams from 50 countries in 52 trucks, 160 motorcycles and 138 cars are taking part in the race, that kicked off from the Obelisk on Buenos Aires's central 9th of July Avenue on New Year's Day.
The total racing distance is 9,030 km (5,610 miles) for cars and trucks, and 8,937 km (5,553 miles) for bikes and ATVs. There are seven stages in Argentina, and seven in Chile.
MOSCOW, January 13 (RIA Novosti)
