Dakar rally 2011

For the third year in a row, the famed Dakar rally began and ended not in Europe and Africa, but in Buenos Aires. The 430 vehicles - cars, motorcycles, quads, and trucks - with 13 driven by women and one by 69 year old Yoshimasa Sugawara, sped through rough terrain for over 3100 miles. Begun in 1977, the race moved to South America because of terrorism fears in 2009 after the threats to drivers forced the cancellation of the 2008 edition. ( 28 photos total)

Juan Pedrero Garcia rides his motorcycle during the sixth stage of the 2011 Argentina-Chile Dakar Rally between Iquique and Arica in Chile January 7. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Camelia Liparoti (right) rides her quad followed by Federico Gut on his quad during the first stage between Victoria and Cordoba, Argentina January 2. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) #

Nasser Al-Attiyah drives with co-driver Timo Gottschalk January 3 on stage 2 between Cordoba and Tucuman January 3. (DANIEL GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Nani Roma steers his car with co-driver Gilles Picard January 3 during stage 2 January 3. (DANIEL GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images) #

A farm worker watches the second stage January 3. (REUTERS/Eric Gaillard) #

Residents wave as Orlando Terranova steers his car with co-driver Filipe Palmeiro January 3 during stage 2. (DANIEL GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Stephane Peterhansel and co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret compete during the second stage between Cordoba and San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina January 3. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) #

Giniel De Villiers and co-driver Dirk Von Zitzewitz compete in the third stage between San Miguel de Tucuman and Jujuy, Argentina January 4. (AP Photo/Stephane Mantey, Pool) #

A motorcyclist competes in the third stage between San Miguel de Tucuman and Jujuy, Argentina January 4. (AP Photo/Stephane Mantey, Pool) #

Bruno Da Costa races his bike and Sebastian Halpern races his quad in the third stage between San Miguel de Tucuman and Jujuy, Argentina January 4. (AP Photo/Daniel Garcia, Pool) #

Jacek Czachor races the third stage from Tucuman to Jujuy January 4. (REUTERS/Eric Gaillard) #

Guilherme Spinelli and co-driver Youssef Haddad compete during the fourth stage between Jujuy, Argentina, and Calama, Chile January 5. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) #

A mechanic works late at night in the bivouac of Jujuy at the end of the third stage January 5. (REUTERS/Eric Gaillard) #

A mechanic works on the car of Leonid Novitskiy in the bivouac of Jujuy at the end of the third stage January 5. (REUTERS/Eric Gaillard) #

Driver Paul Vidal looks over maps at the Dakar camp in Calama after the fourth stage January 5. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) #

A competitor rides in the dunes during the sixth stage from Iquique to Arica January 7. (REUTERS/Eric Gaillard) #

Francisco Lopez Contardo rides during stage 6 between Iquique and Arica January 7. (DANIEL GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Quinn Alexis Cody races in the sixth stage between Iquique and Arica in Chile January 7. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) #

Richard Gonzales and co drivers Gimbre and Bouey camp by their truck after it crashed during the night of the sixth stage from Iquique to Arica January 7. (REUTERS/Eric Gaillard) #

Cristophe Geoffroy races in the seventh stage between Arica and Antofagasta, Chile January 9. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) #

Baohua Han stops to help biker Meffre Laurent after Laurent fell in the seventh stage between Arica and Antofagasta, Chile January 9. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) #

Nasser Al-Attiyah (bottom) with German co-driver Timo Gottschalk are followed by Carlos Sainz with co-driver Lucas Cruz January 10 on stage 8 between Atacama and Copiapo. (DANIEL GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Ignacio Nicolas Casale falls from his motorcycle during the eighth stage between Antofagasta and Copiapo, Chile January 10. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) #

Stephane Peterhansel and co-driver Jean-paul Cottret compete during the ninth stage in Copiapo, Chile January 11. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) #

Masseur Bolat tends to driver Artur Ardavichus in camp at the conclusion of the ninth stage in Copiapo, Chile January 11. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) #

A spectator watches biker Jordi Viladoms race during the eleventh stage between Chilecito and San Juan, Argentina January 13. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) #

Two motorbike competitors get stuck in water during the twelfth stage from San Juan to Cordoba January 14. (REUTERS/Eric Gaillard) #

Vladimir Chagin (right) sprays teammates with champagne as they celebrate on top of their truck after finishing first in the truck category in Buenos Aires January 16. (ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP/Getty Images) #

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Dakar rally 2011