Dakar Rally 2011 Photos

If you’ve never seen Boston.com’s “The Big Picture” or the Dakar Rally, then today is your lucky day for both:

The 2011 edition of the Dakar Rally, being held in South America for the third year, is nearly complete, with competitors heading toward the finish line in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Sunday, January 16th. This is the 32nd running of the rally, and over 400 Teams are competing in the race with 200 motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, 140 cars, and 67 trucks. In the end, racers will have traveled 9,500 km (5,900 mi) in 13 stages across spectacular and varied terrain in both Argentina and Chile. Collected here are a handful of images from this year’s race as it nears its end this weekend.

Below are a few of our favorite images from their collection, but definitely check out The Big Picture’s Gallery of the Dakar Rally for all 42 stunning photographs.