The action in the 2013 Dakar Rally shifted to Argentina on January 11th. The 218 km race was held between Calama, Chile and Salta, Argentina.
Participants left the bivouac in Calama and crossed the Andes Cordillera in a 417 km liaison section to enter Argentina. The course in the liaison section is harsh as the drivers must pass highlands 4975 m above sea level and even the special stage (SS) in Argentina is 3500 – 3900 m above sea level. For the most part the road is single piste and extremely dusty. It was a long and tiring race for the participants who bivouacked at a convention center in Salta City following a liaison of 116 km.
On January 12th, a 471-km stage 8, to be held as the last day of the first-half round, will take a place between Salta and Tukuman in Argentina.