30th Annual Dakar Starts in Buenos Aires

Off road car drivers and motorcycle riders from far flung corners of the world, have just started the 2009 Dakar Rally in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Typically held in the rough out-back of Africa, after the event was canceled last year due to terrorism fears and security concerns, the rally was moved to the relative safety of South America.

Even though this auto and motorcycle rally has been relocated to an entirely different continent, the competitors are not discouraged. They seem to take the relocation in stride, and as adventurers, accept it as another challenge.

The 2009 rally consists of 14 stages with a total distance of nearly 6,000 miles. The rice will likely end on January 17; giving the competitors only 14 days. That's roughly 425 miles per day, at times riding nothing that comes close to resembling a road. The Dakar is the sublime icon of endurance in the motorcycle riding world. Whether you ride or drive the Dakar, whether it is in Africa or South America, it is not for the timid or faint of heart.

You can read more about the Dakar here, here at The Earth Times, and here (with standings) at Fox Sports.