The 37th running of the Dakar Rally->ke2159 is currently underway in South America. Held between January 2, 2016 and January 16, the gurgling off-road race pits drivers and their machines against some of the toughest terrain on Earth, with the course stretching over 5,700 miles through the counties of Argentina and Bolivia.

This year’s rally is broken up into 16 stages, mostly coordinated by day, with checkpoints after each leg. Race results are based on time rather than strictly finishing order. The Dakar is raced by four separate classes of vehicles, including motorcycles, quads, cars, and trucks. While generally all four classes race towards the same rally point on each leg, often times specially selected courses are marked as the best suited for each class.

The truck class resembled 18-wheelers mixed with Baja 1000 rigs. Also called the Lorrie class, the trucks are car-over-engine models and must weight over 7,716 pounds to qualify. The car class combined the high-speed off-road prowess of Baja trucks with a familiar car or crossover body. Mini Cooper->ke629 has had a massive presence in this class. Both the quad and motorcycle class use highly specialized bikes and four-wheelers driven by expert riders.

A live feed is available at the official Dakar website and includes photos and videos. You can check it out here to follow the daily action.

Continue reading for the 2016 Dakar Rally schedule

2016 Dakar Rally Schedule