体坛英语新闻：Humala opens Villa Dakar facility

LIMA, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Peruvian President Ollanta Humala Wednesday inaugurated the Villa Dakar, a facility where vehicles racing in the 2013 Dakar Rally will get a mechanical revision before the race next Jan. 5.

A total of 459 vehicles, including 155, 189 motorcycles, 75 trucks and 40 quads, will be checked in Villa Dakar.

The opening of the facility is located in Costa Verde, an exclusive zone of the Peruvian capital city, in Magdalena del Mar district.

After the ceremony, Humala met with the drivers, copilots and assistants from the Peruvian team "Fuerza Inca".

The 2013 Dakar Rally will begin on Jan. 5 in southern Lima's resort "Chorrillos", to end Jan. 20 in Chile.

The rally's 14 stages include Lima, Pisco, Nazca and Arequipa in Peru, Arica and Calama in Chile, Salta, San Miguel Tucuman, Cordoba, La Rioja and Fiambala in Argentina, and Copiapo, La Serena and Santiago in Chile.

Competitors from 53 countries and regions will take part in this edition, which gathers the largest number of participants since the first Dakar Rally in 1978.

The legendary race through three different countries (Peru, Argentina and Chile) will end 15 days after traveling 8,400 kilometers.