++ rep me if you like the pictures 
The 31st running of the Dakar Rally is being held in South America for the second year, instead of the traditional African route, due to ongoing security concerns. This year's race began and will end in Buenos Aires, covering a looping 9,000 kilometers between Argentina and Chile over 14 stages. 362 Teams began the race with 176 motorcycles and quad bikes, 134 cars, and 52 trucks. The race is just over halfway completed now, the winners expected to cross the finish line on January 16th. Collected here are several photographs from the first 8 stages of this year's rally.
Italy's Luca Manca, competitor in the Argentina - Chile Dakar Rally 2010, is carried by medical personal in Calama, Chile, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010. Manca was seriously wounded after falling from his bike during stage six of the rally between Antofagasta and Iquique in Chile, and remains under observation in stable condition
The 31st running of the Dakar Rally is being held in South America for the second year, instead of the traditional African route, due to ongoing security concerns. This year's race began and will end in Buenos Aires, covering a looping 9,000 kilometers between Argentina and Chile over 14 stages. 362 Teams began the race with 176 motorcycles and quad bikes, 134 cars, and 52 trucks. The race is just over halfway completed now, the winners expected to cross the finish line on January 16th. Collected here are several photographs from the first 8 stages of this year's rally.
Italy's Luca Manca, competitor in the Argentina - Chile Dakar Rally 2010, is carried by medical personal in Calama, Chile, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010. Manca was seriously wounded after falling from his bike during stage six of the rally between Antofagasta and Iquique in Chile, and remains under observation in stable condition
