'Best of Peru' Dakar 2018: Time For Tea?

Forgotten about the Dakar? Here's why you shouldn't

Like sadly so many motorsport events, there's an argument to say that the Dakar just ain't what it used to be. It's no longer in Dakar, for a start, but also cars like the 405 T16, Citroen ZX and Mitsubishi Pajero Evo don't compete any more. The Mini and Peugeot 3008 are incredible racing cars, but it's hard to imagine many spectators really identifying with them.

Here's the video to prove that the Dakar is still absolutely bonkers, and therefore quite brilliant, though. It's a 'Best of Peru' highlights vid from this year's rally, and captures all that is so fantastic about the event: the passion, the danger, the scale and the unerring commitment of those involved. Riders, drivers and mechanics give their all for weeks on end, determined to conquer this most gruelling of events.

Some of the footage in here beggars belief, both for the vastness of the landscapes and how the vehicles (mostly) cope with them. You see as well the camaraderie that exists between competitors when the going gets tough, and also what happens when things take a turn for the worse. Suffice it to say small incidents don't happen on the Dakar, regardless of where it takes place.

There really would appear to be no other challenge quite like it, mentally or physically, on two wheels or four. Take a look at the vid for just some idea of why.