Chile, Brazil win Day 3 of Dakar Series

Day three of the Dakar Series in Peru, called The Inca Challenge, ended Sunday with two Chileans and a Brazilian in the top three spots, each in his respective division, after racing through the desert sand of Pisco province.

Brazil's Guilherme Spinelli won the cars/trucks division aboard a Mitsubishi ASX Racing with a time of 11 hours, 29 minutes and 40 seconds, beating his closest rivals by more than an hour and half, reports Xinhua.

Chile's Pablo Quintanilla came in first place in the motorbike division aboard a KTM 450 with a time of 11:56:05, leaving France and Peru to take second and third place. Another 22 racers completed the difficult trail.

Quintanilla clinched the race after the favourite to win, France's Cyril Depres, was forced to abandon the race due to mechanical problems.

Also Chilean Ignacio Casale won the quads division aboard a Yamaha Raptor 700, the same vehicle that swept all top three spots, with a time of 12:54:37.

Some 83 vehicles, including 39 motorbikes, 22 cars/trucks and 28 quads, are competing in the race, organised by France's Amaury Sports Organization (ASO).

Racers have in three days covered a total of 1,272 km over the difficult sand dunes and terrain of Pisco, as well as battled thick early-morning fog and sudden wind gusts.

Winners of the Dakar Series automatically qualify to compete in the 2014 Dakar Rally, which this year trails through Argentina, Chile and Bolivia.