The Dakar Rally
Arguably the most widely known of the extreme car races in the world, the Dakar Rally used to be known as the Paris-Dakar Rally since the race stretched from the French capital to the capital city of Senegal in Dakar. However, that event was deemed to be too dangerous and was transferred to South America, where it is held today. The ultimate off-road endurance race, drivers in the Dakar Rally have been known to succumb to heart attacks while racing over the extremely rough terrain.
Competitors must cross dunes, mud, camel grass, rocks, and pass through caverns as they travel more than 500 miles each day during the course of the race. This event even caused an international incident back in 1982 when Mark Thatcher, son of then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, went missing for six days while competing in the Dakar Rally. Mark Thatcher and his co-driver were eventually found safe and sound, but not before Prime Minister Thatcher weighed in to disparage this race and those who participate in it.






















