Carlos Sainz, seen here sitting in his Peugeot as navigator Lucas Cruz looks on, denies hitting Kees Koolen's quad during Stage 4, saying Koolen was lucky not to hit him. Picture: Ricardo Mazalan / AP\

Salta, Argentina - Dakar Rally leader Carlos Sainz has been handed a 10-minute penalty on Monday for an alleged collision with Dutch quad rider Kees Koolen earlier in the race.

The sanction means Sainz will start Tuesday's 10th stage, a 373km timed section between Salta and Belen in Argentina, with his lead over Toyota Gazoo Racing SA's Nasser al-Attiyah reduced to 56m37s. Sainz denied hitting any quads during Stage 4 and Peugeot indicated it would appeal.

"Nobody really can understand this penalty," siad Peugeot Sport head Bruno Famin. "This leaves the door open to anything. If any competitor can say that he almost collided with another, we will all have a 10-minute penalty."

Koolen, a former chief executive of online hotel reservation website booking.com, had complained that former double world rally champion and 2010 Dakar winner Sainz had hit his quad and failed to stop.

With Monday's ninth stage was cancelled as a result of bad weather, five stages remain to be run before the race ends in the Argentine city of Cordoba on Saturday 20 January.

IOL Motoring and Reuters

Results - Stage 9