The Dakar Tour started this morning in Lima, where the first stages of the Dakar 2013 were unveiled. The sand dunes that will loom into the competitors’ sights right from the beginning of the race are whetting the appetite of the Peruvian riders and drivers…
“We set the bar very high last January. However, we still have plenty of surprises in store for the competitors, spectators and viewers of the next edition of the Dakar,” according to an already enthusiastic Peruvian Minister for Foreign Trade and Tourism, Jose Luis Silva Martinot, who kicked off proceedings for the Dakar Tour event. The resources deployed for the presentation conference in Lima confirmed the desire to make a big impact: the percussionists from the group Kimbafa, whose musicians were using car bodywork as drums especially for the occasion, welcomed the 300 guests to the ceremony. This coming together of the country’s motorsports enthusiasts allowed journalists the opportunity to reacquaint themselves with the Peruvian riders and drivers who took part in the adventure several months ago. They were also able to gauge the level of interest raised by the rally’s visit to Peru, with many candidates for next year’s event coming to get a taste of the Dakar atmosphere before taking the plunge of participating.
Those who have ambitions to be on the starting line in Lima on 5th January 2013 had already guessed that the programme would be formidable in the very first few days of the race. Their predictions were confirmed with the presentation of the four stages in Peru, in which the Dakar will be pitting its competitors against the desert and the dunes after the most succinct of warm-ups. Once they have left the capital, the first bivouac of the 2013 edition will set up camp in Pisco, home to a loop stage. The rally will then head towards Nazca and then Arequipa. In addition to those planned by Jose Luis Silva Martinot, the sand will also be holding plenty of surprises in store.
The stages in Peru:
- 5th January: Lima-Pisco
- 6th January: Pisco-Pisco
- 7th January: Pisco-Nazca
- 8th January: Nazca-Arequipa
