Thousands gathered at the Obelisk in the center of the Argentine capital to watch the symbolic start of the Dakar Rally, a 349-km drive to the city of Colon Friday. The real racing on the 9,000-km journey across Argentina and Chile begins Saturday for more than 350 cars, motorbikes, quads and trucks, with the finish set for Jan. 16 back in Buenos Aires. The rally was moved to South America in 2009 because of safety concerns and the possibility of a terrorist attack in Africa. Organizers said Friday that 362 vehicles passed scrutineering – 134 cars, 151 motorbikes, 25 quads and 52 trucks. News reports estimated about 200,000 people gathered to watch the start. Last year's winner, Giniel de Villiers of South Africa, leads the favorites. The 2009 champions in other categories also return: Spanish motorcyclist Marc Coma, Czech quad driver Josef Machacek, and Russian truck driver Firdaus Kabirov. Teams from Volkswagen and BMW are the favorites. Volkswagen boasts De Villiers, as well as former world rally champion Carlos Sainz from Spain and Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah. BMW has French driver Stephane Peterhansel behind the wheel, a six-time champion on motorbikes and three-time winner in cars of the Dakar Rally in Africa, plus Nani Roma of Spain. Sainz will be looking for revenge after leading the race in 2009 before being forced to retire following an accident, apparently due to an error in the map produced by the race authorities. Dunes, desert, mountains and other hostile terrain lie in wait for the participants. Racing begins the following day from Colon with a 684km 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. Safety will be an important feature after Pascal Terry died in the last race. The French motorcyclist died of a pulmonary edema on Jan. 7 in the second stage between Santa Rosa and Puerto Madryn after reportedly only receiving help several hours after requesting it. In another incident, Cristobal Guerrero of Spain had an accident in the 10th stage in the middle of the Atacama, the world's most arid desert, and spent several days in a coma. In order to reduce accidents, organizers have decided to make motorbikes and quads race almost 100km less than the other vehicles, along with special sections to avoid crashes with cars and trucks and prevent the problems from 2009.
