12-29-2010 09:53 BJT
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If your the owner of a supercharged, customised car, truck or Motorbike with a keen sense of adventure, you should probably be in Buenos Aires. That is where competitors are gathering for the 2011 Dakar Rally. Some 400 vehicles are set to compete in the 32nd track over 9 thousand 500 kilometers and before the race gets underway on Saturday, everyone scrubbed up and put on a bit of a show.
If traveling over the duration of the course isn't enough for the competitors, many have trekked thousands of miles from Europe to South America before arriving in the town of Lima, some 100 kilometers north of the Argentine capital.
They're about to embark on a punishing two-week journey from the Argentine capital to Jujuy province in the far north, before crossing over to Chile and then returning back to Beunos Aires by January 16.
This year's event is the third year in Argentina and Chile. The original route ran from Paris to Dakar in Senegal, but security risks in Mauritania in 2008 forced organizers to look for new host countries.
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| Some 400 vehicles are set to compete in the 32nd track over 9 thousand 500 kilometers and before the race gets underway on Saturday, everyone scrubbed up and put on a bit of a show. |
The three major competitive groups in the race are motorbikes, cars, and trucks.
Enrique Mayer, Argentina Tourism Minister, said, "550 vehicles have arrived and 415 will compete. They're quads, motorcycles, vans and trucks."
The size of the race continues to grow and attract more support, 2011's race see's 20% more participants taking part, including more from South America. The race is also said to have boosted tourism and been a great showcase for the two host countries' varied terrain and landscapes.
Many spectators are expected to come to see the vehicles off on Saturday and many will go to special viewpoints during the various stages.
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