Dakar Rally: 40th edition of event begins in Peru

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Now for some motorsports and one of the most famous rally races in the world, the Dakar Rally. The event got underway yesterday in Lima, the capital of Peru, and the 40th edition of one of the toughest off-road challenges is made up of 14 stages, covering almost 9,000 kilometres across three countries - Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.

Saturday's roll-out took place in front of cheering fans in the Peruvian capital. 242 kilometres of liaison would be followed by a brief 31 kilometer timed section. Britain's Sam Sunderland did not hold back as the defending champion on motorcycles went on to take the opening stage in 20 minutes and 56 seconds on his KTM, more than half a minute quicker than his rivals.

Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah was first across the line in the cars in a time of 21 minutes and 51 seconds. In total 337 vehicles are competing in five categories, namely bikes, cars, trucks, quads, and UTVs. Sunday's second stage follows a 267 kilometre route out and back to a small town named Pisto.