AP photographer captures speed and breathtaking landscapes at the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia

Associated Press photographer Christophe Ena's images from the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia capture the speed, driving skill and spectacular desert views of one of the world's most breathtaking auto racing events.

South African Henk Lategan is in the lead of the top car class in his Toyota after Thursday's 428-kilometer (266-mile) fifth stage. Friday is a rest day.

There was plenty of action in the first week as defending champion Carlos Sainz and nine-time world rally champion Sebastian Loeb both saw their Dakar hopes ended following crashes.

The Dakar Rally began in 1978 as a contest stretching from the French capital Paris to Dakar, the capital of Senegal in West Africa, across the Sahara Desert, but it hasn't been held in Africa since 2007.

After security concerns forced the 2008 edition to be canceled, the Dakar Rally moved first to South America and then in 2020 to Saudi Arabia.

This year's rally runs nearly 8,000 kilometers (nearly 5,000 miles) across the deserts of Saudi Arabia. It finishes Jan. 17 in Shubaytah in the east of Saudi Arabia.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing