Photos: Ripping through unending dunes at the 2019 Peru Dakar Rally

The 41st edition of the Dakar Rally, the world’s toughest offroad race comprising buggies, truck, motorcycles and rally cars is being contested from January 6th to the 17th this year, on a giant loop rally-route entirely in Peru with the start and finish in the capital Lima. Mapped around the Peruvian deserts, the 2019 Dakar promises to be one of the sandiest in the history of the legendary rally. Organisers say that while the expanded visit to the country will offer a healthy portion of dunes it will also feature a variety of terrain that will suit all riding and driving styles. Here’s a roundup of the race so far.

Updated on: Jan 14, 2019 12:03 PM IST

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A general view of the departure ceremony of the 41st edition of the Dakar Rally at the coast of Lima, Peru. The world’s most gruelling off road race, was flagged off amid much fanfare at the capital city of Peru on January 06. (Carlos Jasso / REUTERS)

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Peugeot’s French driver Sebastien Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena power their car next to a plane before a technical check-up in Lima, on January 5, 2019. Loeb, a nine-time world rally champion who has yet to win the Dakar in three previous attempts, crashed out last year but he said he had “dodged the bullet” this time. (Franck Fife / AFP)

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Peugeot’s British driver Harry Hunt and Dutch co-driver Wouter Rosegarr compete during Stage 1 of the Dakar 2019 between Lima and Pisco. Toyota’s driver Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel of France won the stage. (Franck Fife / AFP)

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X-Raid’s driver Orlando Terranova and co-driver Bernardo Graue in action during Stage 2 from Pisco to San Juan de Marcona. The rally, which switched from Africa to South America in 2009 for security reasons and is now held entirely in Peru, finishes in Lima on Thursday. (Carlos Jasso / REUTERS)

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Rockstar Husqvarna Racing’s Pablo Quintanilla in action during Stage 3 from San Juan de Marcona to Arequipa. Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah retook the lead in the Dakar Rally after Wednesday’s third stage while last year’s winner Carlos Sainz saw his hopes of defending the title effectively disappear in the Peruvian desert. (Carlos Jasso / REUTERS)

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Mini’s Spanish driver Carlos Sainz of Spain gestures next to his car after stopping due to a crash during Stage 3. Reigning champion Carlos Sainz was 23rd and four hours and 40 minutes off the leader’s pace after a nightmare stage on Wednesday. (Franck Fife / AFP)

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Toyota’s driver Nasser Al-Attiyah competes in the Dakar Rally Stage 4. Qatar’s Al-Attiyah extended his lead on Thursday after winning the stage. The two times Dakar winner, completed the 406km special timed stage with a lead of eight minutes and 55 seconds over 13 times winner Stephane Peterhansel, who was ahead on the road in a Mini at the start of the day. (Franck Fife / AFP)

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US biker Ricky Brabec and Argentina’s Kevin Benavides power their Hondas during Stage 5. Seasoned rider Aravind KP was the lone Indian to survive one of the toughest stages of the rally even as all his Sherco TVS Rally Factory teammates successfully completed the marathon Stage 5 stretching from Moquegua to Arequipa. (Franck Fife / AFP)

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A view of the beach during Stage 5 of the Dakar 2019. Indian rider CS Santosh crashed out in the fifth stage even as his Hero MotorSports teammates Oriol Mena and Joaquim Rodrigues dished out gritty performances to reach the finishing line on an incident-filled day. Stage 5 turned out to be an extremely tough and dangerous day for competitors, claiming its fair share of casualties. (Franck Fife / AFP)

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Former winner Andrey Karginov, competing for Russia’s Kamaz team in the truck category, was excluded from this year’s event for failing to stop after a collision with a spectator. The Russian, who won in 2014, was third at the time of the incident with two wins from the five stages. A 60-year-old man from South Africa, watching the race in an unsecured area was hit by Karginov, organisers said in a statement. (Franck fife / AFP)

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KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price during Stage 6 from Arequipa to San Juan de Marcona. In the race for the motorcycling title, Chile’s Pablo Quintanilla on a Husqvarna claimed the stage and took the overall lead finishing 1min 52sec ahead of Kevin Benavides of Argentina on a Honda and 4min 21sec in front of Austria’s KTM rider Matthias Walkner, the 2018 champion. (Carlos Jasso / REUTERS)