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.
AP photographer Mazalan takes a selfie during a sand storm on the last day of the race, Jan. 17. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Mazalan covers himself from a sand storm on the last day of the race, Jan. 17. (Courtesy of EFE photographer Ernesto Arias via AP)
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:
Jan Brabec of Czech Republic falls from his Husqvarna motorbike during the stage nine of the Dakar Rally in Pisco, Peru, Jan. 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Kamaz truck driver Eduard Nikolaev, of Russia, refreshes at a stop during the stage eight of the Dakar Rally between San Juan de Marcona and Pisco, Peru, Jan. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Husqvarna motorbike rider Jan Brabec of Czech Republic left, and KTM rider Cesar Pardo of Peru fall during the stage nine of the Dakar Rally in Pisco, Peru, Jan. 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
KTM motorbike rider Toby Price removes his helmet in Peru, Jan. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Co-driver Angelo Montico, of Italy, smokes during a stop in Peru, Jan. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Spectators, some carrying chairs on their backs, scout for a good spot on the dunes to watch stage six of the Dakar Rally between Arequipa and San Juan de Marcona, Peru, Jan. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Driver Sebastien Loeb, of France, and co-driver Daniel Elena, of Monaco, race their Peugeot during the first stage of the Dakar Rally between Lima and Pisco, Peru, Jan. 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Co-driver Bill Conger, of United States, rests in Peru, Jan. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
A competitors sleeps in Peru, Jan. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Driver Gerard De Rooy, of Netherlands, and co-drivers Darek Rodewald, of Poland, and Moises Torrallardona, of Spain, drive their Iveco truck on the Pan American highway along the Nazca Lines geoglyphs in Nazca, Peru, after finishing second in the second stage of the Dakar Rally between Pisco and San Juan de Marcona, Jan. 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Spectators help pull the KTM motorbike of Zhang Min of China during the stage six of the Dakar Rally between Arequipa and San Juan de Marcona, Peru, Jan. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
An spectator takes a photograph of KTM motorbike rider Matthias Walkner of Austria checking his road book a the start of the third stage of the Dakar Rally between San Juan de Marcona and Arequipa, Peru, Jan. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Competitors ride their motorbikes across the dunes during stage nine of the Dakar Rally in Pisco, Peru, Jan. 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Driver Camelia Liparoti, of Italy, prepares to continue the race, Jan. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
KTM motorbike rider Mark Tielemans stops to refuel in Peru, Jan. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Driver Federico Villagra and co-drivers Arturo Yacopini and Ricardo Torlaschi, all of Argentina, lift a tyre onto their Iveco truck during the stage eight of the Dakar Rally between San Juan de Marcona and Pisco, Peru, Jan. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Chile's Yamaha quad rider Luis Barahona is embraced by his wife after placing 7th at the end of the Dakar Rally in Pisco, Peru, Jan. 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Photos by Ricardo Mazalan