The 40th running of the Dakar Rally is only on its fourth stage out of 14 and the highlights captured on camera are already incredible. 

The race takes place in South America over a total of 5592 miles and three countries, seeing the racers run through massive sand dunes, up large mountains to high elevation and across some of the driest deserts on the planet.

READ MORE: All the Ways to Follow the 40th Dakar Rally

Below is a number of videos selected from the official Dakar YouTube channel, showing the top highlights of the race so far. It includes the crashes of both Bryce Menzies on stage two and Joan ‘Nani’ Roma on stage 3. Both drivers were running for the MINI team, but both have now retired from the race.

It doesn’t take long for desert racing to take its toll. Check out these 2018 Dakar Rally highlights below.