体坛英语新闻：472 vehicles to compete in 2013 Dakar Rally

LIMA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- A total of 472 vehicles will compete in the 2013 Dakar Rally, the rugged road race being hosted for the fifth consecutive year by South America, Peruvian media said Tuesday.

The race, watched by more than a billion people in 197 countries, will begin in Peru's capital Lima on Jan. 5 and end in Chile's capital Santiago on Jan. 20, after crossing through Argentina,

At the official presentation of the competition in Lima, the Dakar Rally's French-born director, Etienne Lavigne, highlighted the obstacles racers will face as they race across different landscapes, from parched deserts to elevated zones with extreme weather.

Peruvian External Trade and Tourism Minister Jose Silva told reporters "Peru is prepared to offer the 2013 Dakar Rally and the world a historic event that will contribute to consolidating the country as an international tourism destination."

Silva said that around 2,500 people will be involved in the competition, and hundreds of tourists are expected to arrive in Peru for the event, generating revenue of at least 500 million U.S. dollars.

Organizers said the race will feature 196 motorcycles, 40 four-wheel drive vehicles, 161 cars and 75 trucks, from 50 different countries, racing across 5,711 kilometers in 14 stages over 21 days, including one rest day.

After leaving Lima, competitors race through the southern Peruvian departments of Ica, Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna. They then cross into Chile on the sixth day and on the eighth day enter the Argentinean province of San Miguel de Tucuman. On Day 17, they return to Chile, where they cross the finish line on Jan. 20.

The Dakar Rally was originally held between Paris (France) and Dakar (Senegal), but political turmoil in Africa led organizers to relocate the race to South America, where it has taken place since 2009.