The world's most dangerous sporting event.

"Mitsubishi cars have long been known for their sturdiness, endurance and robustness and it is these qualities that are derived from our motor sport participation. We intend to strengthen motor sport activities and, in so doing, raise the value of the Mitsubishi Motors brand."

The Russian off-road truck manufacturer Kamaz races its trucks in the event every year at a crippling cost because its wins embody the company's commercial products. Kamaz is located in the very heart of former USSR, where the Kama and Volga rivers merge. The brand's tag-line is "no roads, no problem." The Dakar Rally has given the company a global profile. If you had a critical overland haulage job, what would you use?

Volkswagen was proud of its third place - quite a feather in the cap of the premium off-road Toureg.

Yet KTM recognises that its fifth victory in the event is quite possibly its last.

One of those who died this year was KTM favourite son Fabrizio Meoni, who gave the company its first Dakar win in 2001.

After the event, KTM issued a statement via marketing director Winfried Kerschhagg. "At the moment the sporting success is totally pushed in the background. We are thinking about the future right now. If we cannot find some common ground about the safety, we will have to think about our engagement in the future. The motorcycles have not become that much faster over the previous few years. But the density of great riders has definitely increased. We would like the rally to become more sporting again and this means more navigation."

As bulletproof, mission-critical tough as Kamaz, Mitsubishi and KTM machinery has proven to be, the competitors are moreso. What the competitor endures

This is the toughest event imaginable and to be a leading competitor is an exacting task. For starters, to run at the pace required to be at the front in the desert, you need to take massive risks, for hours on end, in blinding heat.

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