As you may have learned from checking our weekly Motorsports Roundup yesterday, this weekend marked the first two days of the 2013 Dakar Rally, the famously intense off-road race that doesn't go to Dakar anymore but is still pretty badass.
Since 2009 the race has been held in South America due to fears about terrorism along the old route, which ran from Paris to Dakar, Senegal. It will run from Lima, Peru (where it began this weekend) to Santiago, Chile over the next two weeks.
If you're anything like me, you enjoy looking at hi-res photos of trucks, motorcycles and dune buggys blasting across the sand, so I thought I'd indulge you with some photos of the action. Enjoy yourselves.
Anyone following this? Who are you cheering for?
All photos credit Getty Images