Four Wheeling In The Atacama Desert - Raid Atacama 2008

Day two takes the group across more dunes, stretches of desert, towns for lunch, and finally into the heart of the Atacama Desert. Proper rig prep is important, as is experience. While there is only one leader, guides shepherd the group along the way and help broken rides escape to outside routes to the main roads.

4x4 enthusiasts of all ages, genders, and experience levels join the raid. These two overheated their Suzuki on a long hillclimb, but like any experienced wheeler they knew to point the radiator into the wind and open the hood. Did you notice the size of her tachometer?

Crazy fun and crazy wheeling go hand in hand. Club Viking 4x4 painted zebra stripes on its rides for the event. Vehicles range from stock to fully modified for the region, which means a max tire size of around 35. Long-travel sand cars and big motors are rare down here, but are growing.

Many groups break off and congregate, as do groups of breakdowns and their friends who help get the broken rides out. Social structure and civility abound, and no one gets drunk or acts like a jerk as in Glamis. Safety is also paramount, and only one rollover was seen the whole week.

This mound of soft stuff is the most impressive dune we've ever seen, and indeed it's said to be the tallest dune in the world . While Argentina cries foul at that claim and Saudi Arabia doesn't really care, this sucker is flat-out huge! Looking down is a sight few have seen, and I was lucky enough to catch a rare ride to the top of this incredible dune in a Sami piloted by Tote Pla. Thanks, Tote!

A major point of the raid is the big bowl called El Medanoso. Everyone watches as the big dogs run straight up and down the biggest wall, while others circle clockwise and counterclockwise. A line forms across the floor facing the dreaded wall. The stock(ish) 4x4s set off in a mad scramble up the face, while guides are positioned halfway up the hill. Those that get the farthest are qualified for the 36 Hours de Atacama, a points-based roving hillclimb series for stock rigs such as these.

Beach wheeling is allowed, and it seemed fitting since this guy's flag read "SpongeBob 4x4"-in Spanish, of course!

At the end of the event, all sand lovers head to town and leave the magnificent desert to recoup for next year's onslaught.