STAGE 1 - Zaterdag 5 januari: Lima - Pisco- Liaison sections: 250 km
- Special stage: 13 km
It won’t be long before competitors will be singled out, but for the moment, the mini special stage organised on the outskirts of Pisco will principally be used to divide up the drivers into categories according to their level, who in turn will reassemble during the rally. The initial stage won’t be as stiff as the drink that made the region famous, but the picture postcard landscape is especially appealing. The concentration required over the several timed kilometres will still allow the competitors to admire the scenery. Nevertheless, the light-hearted attitude and relaxed driving style adopted by the competitors during this first day must not mislead them: the Dakar has really begun.
STAGE 2 - Zondag 6 januari: Pisco - Pisco- Liaison sections: 85 km
- Special stage: 242 km
Like every year, more than 25% of the competitors will discover the Dakar for the first time. With this stage, they will be immediately immersed in a sandy environment and cross gentler dunes. Their initial endeavours will allow them to test and adjust their driving techniques, but also to sample the delights of shovelling sand for some, while several engines will overheat for the first time. During this stage where there is only sand, the minor scares at the beginning of the special stage will not stop the majority of drivers and navigators from savouring a constant treat for the eyes. In terms of aesthetics, the scenery borders on perfection.
STAGE 3 - Maandag 7 januari: Pisco - Nazca- Liaison sections: 100 km
- Special stage: 243 km
Tempers are likely to flare inside the vehicles, as the level of stress increases. The recently formed pairs will have passed a major test during the first one hundred kilometres. The South Americans have adopted the term “Erg”, which accurately describes the sequence of dunes that they will have to negotiate in the small hours. All the competitors who go over them without getting stuck, including those in the lead, will be able to proudly breathe a sigh of relief. Their first reward will be to take advantage of the route along the seafront on the second half of the special stage. But the respite will be short-lived, as the tracks they will take at the end of the stage will also require skill and vigilance.
STAGE 4 - Dinsdag 8 januari: Nazca - Arequipa- Motorcycles / Quads:
- Liaison sections: 429 km
- Special stage: 289 km
- Cars / Trucks:
- Liaison sections: 429 km
- Special stage: 288 km
It was a painful experience for many competitors when they discovered the area last year. At the beginning of the special stage, the dunes follow one another, each one like the next, strung out in a never-ending desert capable of unsettling the best technical specialists. In the opposite direction, Stéphane Peterhansel and “Nani” Roma, both of whom are masters when it comes to crossing dunes, each lost almost fifteen minutes there, and risked missing out on the first two places of the overall standings. And the level of difficulty will be even more demanding this year! During the crucial stage of the first week, the rally will be even tougher for motorcyclists: they will quail on a 2-km slope, of which the gradient will put the descent of Iquique on a par with a gentle children’s slide.
STAGE 5 - Woensdag 9 januari: Arequipa - Arica- Motorcycles / Quads:
- Liaison sections: 275 km
- Special stage: 136 km
- Cars / Trucks:
- Liaison sections: 337 km
- Special stage: 172 km
A relatively late start will allow the slowest competitors to make up for time lost the day before, as well as to cope with the time change which has been scheduled. For this transition stage which will see the rally enter Chile, the contrast will be visible both in terms of the variety of scenery and the average speeds recorded at the finish. The tracks taken by the motorcyclists will take their toll on their arms: the environment is favourable to attacks, but the stony sections and the rivers to be crossed in some areas will curb their enthusiasm. Those in four-wheeled vehicles will also criss cross between the first reliefs, from valley to valley, with the eyes of the navigators glued to the road book.
STAGE 6 - Donderdag 10 januari: Arica - Calama- Liaison sections: 331 km
- Special stage: 454 km
The first special stage held in Chile will take competitors back to the Atacama Desert: they will be faced with sand and dunes for two thirds of the distance. But two specific sections of the stage will be timed: the latter will allow them to rediscover fesh fesh, which is unlikely to enthuse them. Overall, the day will be very long, at a stage where the competitors’ bodies will start to suffer from the lack of sleep, particularly for those who have experienced some incidents. At the head of the race, a ranking which is already probable is taking shape: the real candidates for the Top 10 are apparent.
STAGE 7 - Vrijdag 11 januari: Calama - Salta- Motorcycles / Quads:
- Liaison sections: 586 km
- Special stage: 220 km
- Cars / Trucks:
- Liaison sections: 534 km
- Special stage: 220 km
The ascent of the Andes Cordillera will be in the small hours, taking all the drivers and teams in convoy for a liaison stage finishing at a record altitude of 4,975 metres, at the top of Argentina’s highest mountain pass. During the special stage, the needle of the altimeter will fluctuate between 3,400 m and 4,000 m, but the speedometer will rarely go below 100 km/h, despite the lack of power which will affect all the vehicles. Still on the subject of figures, at this time of the year and at the highest altitude, the thermometer will display an average temperature of 15 degrees. When all is said and done, the biggest difficulty will be for motorcyclists to maintain their stamina. They will be welcomed in a bivouac which has been relocated for the first part of their marathon stage.
STAGE 8 - Zaterdag 12 januari: Salta - San Miguel de Tucuman- Motorcycles / Quads:
- Liaison sections: 247 km
- Special stage: 491 km
- Cars:
- Liaison sections: 379 km
- Special stage: 470 km
- Trucks:
- Liaison sections: 393 km
- Special stage: 155 km
The Tucuman route will be divided into two timed sections with a variety of scenery. With hoodoos, canyons and cacti, the competitors will discover the red and green backdrop of Argentina’s most beautiful natural landscape, which will unfold for more than 150 km creating a Western atmosphere. During the second half of the timed section, which will take place in a region completely unknown to the Dakar, the contrast will be apparent on the sandy and sometimes tricky tracks. It may also be manifested through the weather conditions, if the wind is combined with the high temperatures which ravage the region. The rest day will rarely have been more deserved, in particular for the motorcyclists who will finish their marathon stage.
Zondag 13 januari: Rustdag in San Miguel de Tucuman
STAGE 9 - Maandag 14 januari: San Miguel de Tucuman - Cordoba- Cars / Motorcycles / Quads:
- Liaison sections: 259 km
- Special stage: 593 km
- Trucks:
- Liaison sections: 406 km
- Special stage: 293 km
Trucks will have pride of place when the rally resumes, only competing in one of the two parts of the special stage, but they will have the rare privilege of setting off first. The stage’s profile with quick tracks will be favourable to specialists of torturous routes. In the other categories, as the distance has been doubled it will also allow for an additional, much more technical section, where, in particular, the drivers will negotiate the bends in the forest. They will have to watch out for trees, given that the rapid assistance trucks won’t have access to the route. The competitors will have to be extremely vigilant over the entire distance, which is, for all except for the bikers, the rally’s longest special stage.
STAGE 10 - Dinsdag 15 januari: Cordoba - La Rioja- Motorcycles / Quads:
- Liaison sections: 279 km
- Special stage: 357 km
- Cars / Trucks:
- Liaison sections: 279 km
- Special stage: 353 km
The masters of the handlebars and the steering wheel will be most at ease when faced with the challenge of the day. Although the cars and trucks will be separated from the motorcycles, their respective programmes will have similar features. Winding tracks will be interspersed with fast ones, as the competitors pass through a succession of landscapes from wooded areas to barren plateaux. The whole setting may remind the most open-minded participants of Ireland in some places!
STAGE 11 - Woensdag 16 januari: La Rioja - Fiambala- Motorcycles / Quads:
- Liaison sections: 262 km
- Special stage: 221 km
- Cars / Trucks:
- Liaison sections: 262 km
- Special stage: 219 km
It is very rare for nothing to happen in Fiambalà! And in 2012 rain ensured that this lethal white sand remained firm, allowing the vehicles of the Dakar to pass through this prime spot for getting blocked and for engines to overheat, without recoiling or stalling. These dunes with their very welcoming contours typically have a very unpleasant surprise in store for competitors. Everything is possible in Fiambalá, including in the new strings of dunes featured on the route. The third part of the rally will boast sand once again, and each person will have to adapt his driving and his general approach to the terrain: those who are less attentive will also risk making serious navigational mistakes which will cost them dearly.
STAGE 12 - Donderdag 17 januari: Fiambala - Copiapo- Liaison sections: 396 km
- Special stage: 319 km
This time the competitors will cross the Andes Cordillera from east to west, by the Paso San Francisco, and return to the Atacama Desert to experience every kind of difficulty that exists in a long-distance rally. The major sections of dunes are situated right in the centre of the special stage: the participants will have to climb the “cathedral” dunes and avoid entering the basins which are just as big. It won’t be any easier on the tracks, where rocks and stones, despite being scattered around, can immediately bring the fastest of them to a halt. Those who reach Copiapó with a perfect performance will score points for the overall standings.
STAGE 13 - Vrijdag 18 januari: Copiapo - La Serena- Liaison sections: 294 km
- Special stage: 441 km
The schedule has taken the meteorological characteristics of the area into account. The “Camanchaca” will be very dense during the first part of the morning. So it will only be once this stubborn fog has lifted that the first motorcyclists will set off to tackle the last dunes of the rally. The sandy part, where an attack is still feasible, represents a third of the special stage. To discover the end of the stage, the competitors will have to head south, on wide tracks which can nevertheless conceal stones which can shatter dreams. When they reach La Serena where the rally’s last bivouac will be situated, they will be awarded highly prized additional points.
STAGE 14 - Zaterdag 19 januari: La Serena - Santiago- Liaison sections: 502 km
- Special stage: 128 km
To reach the Chilean capital, the heroes of the 2013 Dakar will still have to remain focused on the amazing fast tracks, where the pleasure of driving will go hand in hand with their sense of accomplishment. After the journey on the road, the drivers will be expected on a show course a few kilometres long, where they will be able to delight spectators by performing skids and jumps. This will be a foretaste of the highly emotional ceremony which will be organised the next day facing the Palacio de La Moneda, on the Plaza de la Constitución.
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