The grueling three-country Dakar Rally takes off from Mar del Plata to Lima

3 January, 2012

This is the fourth straight year that the event takes place in South America. After three years of racing on a loop course that started and ended in the Argentina capital Buenos Aires, the race begins this time in the Atlantic coastal city of Mar Del Plata with the finish 9,000 kilometers away on the Pacific coast in Peru.

Saturday's processional ride does not count in the timed standings, with the first official leg from Mar del Plata to Santa Rosa to be held Sunday, January first. .

The rally was held in Africa until 2007, but moved for security reasons to South America beginning in 2009. The race was not held in 2008.

Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar, who won last year's car category driving a Volkswagen, is back this year in a Hummer. Defending bike champion Marc Coma of Spain is back with KTM. Al-Attiyah was one of the last drivers to sign up for the race and has little time to get used to his new vehicle.

“I am comfortable inside this car, I am getting the feel of it,” he said. “But I still have to get acquainted with it, so I will play things safe in the first stages and then step things up a notch every day.”

The 9.000 kilometres of which 4.200 in very demanding terrain will have competitors climb mighty mountains, cross deserts, transit areas still covered in volcanic ash, lunar landscapes, unending dunes, discover remains of pre-Columbian civilizations and the multiplicity of environments from three different countries, Argentina, Chile and Peru, linking two oceans.

“It’s the brand name of Dakar” said proudly Etienne Lavigne, master of the competition and chief of the 3.000 nomads’ tribe that surrounds and demands the fifteen-day event.

And the competition in its South American fourth edition will have the echo of millions of followers. As faithful to football, car racing and mechanics are another passion of South America and it is estimated that five million people turned out in the 2011 edition to cheer and support Dakar rally competitors.

Argentina will host five stages, Chile four and Peru the last four completing a 14 day competition, two more than in 2011.


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