378 drivers to race 2nd American Dakar Rally

Buenos Aires: Considered the most dangerous race on the planet, the Dakar Rally starts Saturday with 378 drivers taking part in the second edition staged in South America because of security concerns.

Dunes, desert, mountains and other hostile terrain lie in wait for 138 cars, 161 motorbikes, 29 quads and 50 trucks in the 16-stage race that covers 9,030 kilometers across Argentina and Chile before finishing January 16 in Buenos Aires. Last year`s winner, Ginield De Villiers of South Africa, leads the favorites. The 2009 champions in other categories also return: Spanish motorbike rider Marc Coma, Czech quad driver Josef Machacek and Russian truck driver Firdaus Kabirov.The symbolic start of the race will take place Friday, with a 349-kilometer drive from emblematic Buenos Aires monument, the Obelisk, to the city of Colon. Racing begins the following day from Colon with a 684-kilometer first stage to Cordoba. Drivers then head to La Rioja and Fiambala in Argentina before going to Copiapo on Jan. 5, the first Chilean city to host the Dakar, followed by Antofogasta, Iquique, La Serena and Santiago.The race returns to Argentina, passing through San Juan, San Rafael, Santa Rosa and finally Buenos Aires. The only rest day in the 32nd edition of the Dakar Rally will be Jan. 9. PTI