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Four Wheeling In The Atacama Desert - Raid Atacama 2008Desert Chaos From the April, 2009 issue of 4Wheel & Off-Road By Rick Pewe Photography by Rick Pewe
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The town of Copiapo was our... The town of Copiapo was our objective each evening.Juan Carlos Cruz got us there in his TJ with a blown 4.7L stroker and nitrous. The prosperous mining city is a jewel in the desert and the heart of the area's tourism. NASA crews trained here for the moon landings. As the world's largest 4x4 mag, we are required to travel around the globe and wheel our tails off, then come home and write about it. It's a rough job, but we do it for you. And many of our readers are located south of the equator in South America, with Chile being a prime 4x4 center. From the famed Patagonia in the south to the awesome Atacama Desert in the north, Chile has something for every type of 4x4 driver. Chile even has its own version of our Moab Jeep Safari, an extravagant desert event named Raid Atacama. It's called a raid because roughly 500 vehicles all start at the same time and somewhat followthe leader through sand dunes and desert for four days of fun wheeling, racing, and getting stuck. The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on earth, but the people who participate are some of the friendliest we've met. The party atmosphere permeates the event, as it isn't so much a competition as a gathering once a year of many of Chile's 4x4s. The city of Copiapo swells with the influx of all the wheelers and, just like Moab, not a hotel room is empty the week of the raid. Our host for the event was Jim Jackson of ARB, along with the ARB distributor in Chile, Juan Carlos Cruz of ARB Chile in Santiago. Patricio Rios is the director of the event and showed us the ins and outs of Raid Atacama. For more info, visit www.raid-atacama.cl. Get an English version by Googling "raid atacama," clicking on the site, and then clicking "Translate this page." Or try www.twistedandes.com. The big dogs line up and rev their engines, from twin-turboed WRX Subaru rally motors in Samurais to small-block Chevys blown and injected under a Nissan Patrol. With a drop of a hat the group shoots out, each watching the other in this land-rush-style start. A few hook early while others purposefully wait for the track to clear. The idea isn't to see who is first, but to see who can go the farthest. This ranking is for the big event next fall called 48 Hours of Atacama, a no-holds-barred event of modified 4x4s battling it out to be "king of the hill."  The start of the event is...  The start of the event is a carnival atmosphere downtown after tech and inspection is finished. It's reminiscent of the Baja 1000, but without the stress of competition. Sponsor parties and general revelry are the norm.  Sponsors are important, and...  Sponsors are important, and the Claro girls on the beach were quite helpful. Sponsors such as Jeep, Goodyear, and Jumbo were equally responsive to our needs on the event.  While not a single-file trail...  While not a single-file trail ride, the raid does follow a general route through the dunes and desert. After the group rallies at a desert basin, the leader simply starts out and the others follow. The first day covers 50 miles and ends up at the beach for camping. GPS coordinates and a route map are provided as well.  The raid nature means everyone...  The raid nature means everyone is vying for the best position behind the lead dog, while having fun swooping others by alternate routes. It is similar to the Baja 1000 in that a mass of people all goes the same way on one track, but it's a very wide track. The dunes themselves are truly huge, bigger than Glamis, Idaho, and very similar to the Deseritio Altar in Mexico.  Because there are so many...  Because there are so many participants, it may take an hour to move everyone from one location to another. Vehicles easily get stuck, but someone always lends a hand. A vintage Bronco yanked these three stucks off the ridge. In one area we were held up for a while in what was described as la mayora complicaron, which means "most complicated" but which better translates as "a cluster..."  Around here it's called Atacama...  Around here it's called Atacama Time. Sure, the schedule of event says we'll have a 9:30 morning meeting, but you can bet that if you get there at 11 you'll still have time to fix your ride and finish up. In actuality it's a very carefully and purposely organized chaos put on by Patricio Rios and his ARA. Nothing is left to chance, and everything is well coordinated.  Guia is Spanish for guide,...  Guia is Spanish for guide, the guys who lead the troops in. This one fell by the wayside with a classic 35C axle breakage and was left for dead. Note the Se Vende on the liftgate, "For Sale"!  Just as on any dunes, low...  Just as on any dunes, low tire pressure means greater mobility. Many participants carry camping gear for four days, while others shuttle between desert and town.
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