AP photographer Ricardo Mazalan captures Dakar Rally
This year’s Dakar Rally was reduced to a 10-stage race on Peruvian sand, almost 5,200 kilometers, starting and finishing in the capital city of Lima. Nasser Al-Attiyah won his third Dakar crown while Toby Price won his second motorbike title in a race which featured one last twist on Thursday.
Ricardo Mazalan, a veteran Associated Press staff photographer based in Colombia, covered his second Dakar race in South America this year.
Flying over competitors in a helicopter and watching accidents unfold, here’s a selection of Mazalan’s photos of drivers racing through sand, rocky terrain and sleeping on the ground:
Photos by Ricardo Mazalan