If you’re into off-roading, you’ve likely heard of the Dakar Race. Easily one of the toughest off-road races in the world, the Dakar race pits drivers, their teams, and their vehicles up against some of the harshest terrains Earth has to offer. This year, the Dakar race is bounding from Paraguay to Bolivia and then to Argentina.

The Dakar race is set up just as a rally, through a series of stages. Stage 1 had racers taking off to battle the tropical forests Paraguay has to offer. Mud, dirt, trees and all sorts of other terrain from Paraguay’s capital, Asunción to Resistencia via a 454-kilometer (282-mile) course.

In the car category, Nasser Al-Attiyah took the victory for the first stage in his Toyota Hilux. He switched from Mini to Toyota and is likely happy with the decision right now. Dakar reports that Al-Attiyah was playing with fire, literally. His vehicle had flames starting up around his vehicle as he approached the finish line. Sébastien Loeb, a popular and talented rally racer finished sixth place.

During the Dakar 2017 Paraguay Bolivia Argentina – Photo DPPI

The trucks are essentially off-road prepped semi-trucks and are a Dakar racing staple. These trucks started out as chase trucks carrying gear and supplies for racers and ended up become a category of their own. Martin Kolomy used his brand-new Tatra Phoenix truck to dominate stage one with Ton Van Genugten following in second place.

Stay tuned as we keep you up to date on each stage of the race!