Patronelli returns to the top

By Leandro Compton Hall, special correspondent.

Argentine Alejandro Patronelli (Yamaha) won the ninth stage of the Dakar Rally covering the desert of Copiapó and arrived 5 minutes and 21 seconds before Czech Josef Machacek (Yamaha) and 10 minutes and 15 seconds before Polish Lukasz Laskawiec (Yamaha).

Meanwhile, Argentines Sebastián Halpern (Yamaha) and Jorge Santamarina (Honda) finished the stage in the fourth and fifth position.

After nine stages, the overall results in the quads category show Patronelli in the first place with 43 hours, 28 minutes, 41 seconds; followed by Halpern with a difference of 1 hour, 16 minutes, 23 seconds and Machacek with 2 hours, 47 minutes and 9 seconds.