21 Amazing Moments From The World's Most Hardcore Desert Race

Most car races last a few hours. The 24 Hours of Le Mans takes a whole day. Then there's the Dakar, the off-road endurance race open to cars, trucks, and motorcycles.

Originally known as the Paris-Dakar Rally, the event began in 1977 as a race through Africa and Europe. In 2009, the race was moved to South America because of security concerns.

Even in the Western Hemisphere, it is a dangerous proposition: At least four people died during last year's edition, only one of them a participant.

This year's 5,000-mile route goes down the Pacific coast, into the Peruvian desert, over the Andes Mountains into Argentina, and then back to the coast before concluding in Santiago, Chile.

About halfway through the race, there has been plenty of excitement so far, all of it captured in these 21 remarkable photos.