The Dakar has made its way into Chile, proving itself to be as grueling and even as deadly as you'd imagine.
Yes, the race suffers the mark of two deaths when a support vehicle on the Race 2 Recovery team slammed into a taxi on a non-race section of the event. The taxi driver and passenger were killed and another taxi was rolled, adding up to seven people injured. It's a horrible accident, especially given the disabled team involved.
The race itself was still as tough as ever. One of the leading drivers, Chicherit, had his power steering break at some point on the 274 kilometers of Day 5. Watch this video of him and you will see a broken man. The Dakar Rally is not an easy undertaking by any stretch of the imagination.
More news is that rally legend Carlos Sainz dropped out on Day 6 (that's yesterday, for those keeping up) due to engine failure. The top two leaders, Peterhansel in the 4WD Mini and Al-Attiyah in his new RWD buggy, aren't even two minutes apart. That is a practically inconsequential figure at this point.
For full standings, check out the truly excellent reports by our reader and rally co-driver DustyVentures, who has Daily Dakar roundups for both Day 5 here and Day 6 here. Read them.
Photo Credits: Associated Press
Photo Credits: Associated Press
Photo Credits: Associated Press
Photo Credits: Associated Press
Photo Credits: Associated Press
Photo Credits: Associated Press
Photo Credits: Associated Press
Photo Credits: Associated Press
Photo Credits: Associated Press
Photo Credits: Associated Press
Photo Credits: Associated Press
Photo Credits: Associated Press
Photo Credits: Associated Press
Photo Credits: Associated Press
Photo Credits: Associated Press
Photo Credits: Associated Press