This year the competition began and end in Buenos Aires, covering a total area of 9000 km between Argentina and Chile on 14 stages. 362 teams started the race on 176 motorcycles and quads, 134 cars and 52 trucks.
Competition has recently exceeded the equator, the winners have to cross the finish line on January 16. In this issue raised a few photos from the first eight stages.
Sand flies out from under the wheels of a motorcycle «Aprilia» Spaniard Gerard Forresa Guellya at the 4th stage of the Dakar Rally 2010 between Fyambaloy (Argentina) and Kopiapo (Chile), January 5, 2010. Stage won the Spaniard Marc Coma, the second place took the Frenchman David caste, and the third – the Frenchman Cyril Despre.
Aerial view of the indoor park Dakar 2010 in Buenos Aires on December 31, 2009.
Volkswagen Touareg pilots Zhinel de Villiers from South Africa and Dirk von Tsittsevittsa from Germany for the symbolic start of Dakar 2010 in Buenos Aires on January 1, 2010.
Spanish pilot KTM Jordi Viladoms welcomes visitors at the opening ceremony of the Dakar Rally 2010 January 1, 2010 in Buenos Aires.
Pole Krzysztof Holovshits in his «Nissan» passing by fans on the hill at the 2010 Dakar Rally between the colonies and Cordoba, Argentina, January 2, 2010.
Francisco Lopez of Chile Kontardo rides on his motorcycle «Aprilia» on the water at the first stage of Dakar 2010 between the colonies and Cordova on Jan. 2, 2010.
People are watching as «Nissan» Jean-Pierre Struga and co-pilot Yves Ferry from France levitate pillars of water during the journey across the river at the first stage of theDakar Rally 2010 in Rio Cuarto, Argentina, January 2, 2010.
Frenchman Jean-Claude Mazet falls from his motorcycle «KTM» during the second stage of the Dakar Rally in 2010 between the cities Kordovay and La Rioja, Argentina, January 3, 2010.
Manuel Zhammet from Chile went on a rocky road on his Yamaha at the sixth stage of the Dakar Rally 2010 between the cities of Antofagasta and Iquique January 7, 2010.
Injured spectators are on the ground after the pilots «Desert Warrior» Mirko Shultis and Ulrich Lerdo off the road straight into the crowd at Alpa Corral, Cordoba, Jan. 2, 2010. One person was killed and four were seriously damaged.
Pilot motorcycle «Aprilia» Francisco “Chaleko” Lopez Kontardo from Chile looks in your navigator on Checkpoint seventh phase of the Dakar Rally 2010 between the cities of Iquique and Antofagasta, Chile, January 8, 2010.
Racer «BMW» Frenchman Stephane Peteransel and co-pilot Jean-Paul Cotterets cross the valley on the seventh stage of Dakar Rally Argentina-Chile between the cities of Iquique and Antofagasta January 8, 2010.
Rossiyanin Leonid Novitsky crosses the sand dunes on its «BMW» at the seventh stage of Dakar Rally 2010 between the cities of Iquique and Antofagasta January 8, 2010
Spaniards Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz in his «Volkswagen» participate in the sixth stage of Dakar Rally 2010 between Antofagasta and Iquique (Chile) 7 January 2010.
Italian Luca Munk pours water on himself in the third stage of the Dakar Rally
Frenchman David Fretine on his motorcycle «Yamaha» riding on a sand dune at the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally between 2010 and Kopiapo Antofagasta (Chile)
Mechanic «KTM» is working on a motorcycle Spaniard Manuel Garcia during a rest day in Antofagasta, Chile, January 9, 2010
The helicopter flies over Spaniard Carlos Sainz in his «Volkswagen» at the seventh stage from Iquique to Antofagasta on the secondDakar Rally in South America, January 8, 2010.
Dutchman Frans Ferhofen approaching photographers on the rocky road on his motorcycle «BMW» on the eighth stage of the Dakar 2010 between Antofagasta and Kopiapo January 10, 2010.
Frenchman Stephane Peteransel literally flies on its «BMW» past the road sign at the seventh stage of Dakar 2010 between Iquique and Antofagasta January 8, 2010.
Racer goes on corrugated sand dune at the seventh stage of Dakar Rally 2010 between Iquique and Antofagasta January 8, 2010.
Russia racer on «BMW» Leonid Novitsky and his German assistant, Andreas Schulz trying to get out of the sand, stuck on the eighth stage of the Dakar 2010 between Antofagasta and Kopiapo January 10, 2010.
Mechanic woke up early in the morning during a rest day on the Dakar Rally 2010 in Antofagasta January 9, 2010.
The mechanic working on a truck parked in the camp in Dakar, the only day of rest in Antofagasta January 9, 2010.
The Portuguese Helder Rodrigues rides on his motorcycle «Yamaha» on the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally in 2010 from Antofagasta in Kopiapo January 10, 2010.
Aerial view of the collapsed helicopter «Robinson 44″ in Fyambale, Province of Catamarca, January 4, 2010. The pilot, copilot and two reporters who had followed the route of theDakar Rally, received minor injuries when their helicopter crashed on the ground.
Racer crosses the desert on the sixth stage of Dakar Rally 2010 between Antofagasta and Iquique January 7, 2010.
Chinese Wenmin Su rides his motorcycle «Jincheng» by spectators at the fourth stage of the Dakar Rally between 2010 and Fyambaloy Kopiapo January 5, 2010.
Doctors take away the Italian Luca Munk – Dakar Rally rider Argentina-Chile in Calama, Chile, January 7, 2010. Munk received serious injuries falling from his motorcycle on the sixth stage between Antofagasta and Iquique inChile. He is under the supervision of doctors, but his condition is stable.
Camp at the fifth stage of the Dakar Rally in Antofagasta January 6, 2010.
Spaniard Juan Pedrera ready to start on his motorcycle «Aprilia» at the seventh stage of Dakar 2010 between Iquique and Antofagasta January 8, 2010
Fog hampered visibility at the interval of the fifth stage of the Dakar Rally 2010 between Kopiapo and Antofagasta 6 January 2010
Racer of the Chilean Francisco Lopez Kontardo on its «Aprilia» preparing a tent on the fifth stage of the Dakar Rally 2010 Argentina-Chile between Kopiapo and Antofagasta January 6, 2010.
Argentinian Alejandro Patronelli on quad «Yamaha» climbs a sand dune on the seventh stage of Dakar Rally 2010 between Iquique and Antofagasta January 8, 2010.
Zhinel de Villiers from South Africa goes to his “Volkswagen” on the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally 2010 between Antofagasta and Kopiapo January 10, 2010.
L’Italiana Silvia Jeannette falls from his motorcycle «KTM» the fifth stage of the Dakar Rally 2010 between Kopiapo and Antofagasta 6 January 2010.
Frenchman Cyril Despre crossed a vast plain on his motorcycle «KTM» on the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally 2010 between Antofagasta and Kopiapo January 10, 2010.
