( CNN ) -- The Race to Dakar has been marred by injuries to three Britons after they were involved in a road traffic accident in South America , which left two others dead . The support vehicle , a Land Rover Defender , was involved in a head-on collision in the town of Tacna , Peru , close to the Chilean border . Two other vehicles were involved in the smash , in which two lost their lives and others were injured . The three Race2Recovery members were taken to hospital and later flown to hospital in Lima , where they are said to be `` stable and conscious '' . The injuries have been described as `` non-life threatening '' . The three men , who are part of a team of injured soldiers taking part in the challenge , were named as Justin Birchall , 40 , a team driver and civilian volunteer , whose Wildcat vehicle retired earlier in the race , former Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineer and Gulf War and Falklands war veteran Lee Townsend , a team mechanic , and retired Army Major John Winskill , the team logistics expert . Team leader Captain Tony Harris said : `` Our hearts go out to the families and relatives of those who have died in this tragic accident and we offer them our condolences and sympathy . `` Our entire team has been struck by the friendliness and support we have received from the Peruvian people since arriving for the Dakar Rally . Triple amputee takes on world 's most dangerous race . `` The team decided before we even started that we would continue our endeavour . This is obviously a huge shock but we know that we have the blessing of the injured . They want the team to finish , '' he said . The Race2Recovery team is hoping to become the first disability team to complete the challenge , which takes in around 9,000 kilometers of extreme mountain and desert terrain . The squad of 28 includes both British and U.S. service people who were wounded during combat and have missing limbs , spinal injuries and psychological injuries . The race is scheduled to finish in Santiago , Chile on January 20 . Since the inaugural race in 1978 , 25 competitors have lost their lives , while more than 50 have died overall . Only 74 of the original 182 participants made it to Dakar in the first year . Although the race used to be held in Europe with the climax in Senegal , Africa , it was moved to South America in 2009 following threats of terrorism .
Three Britons injured following a road traffic accident in Peru , which left two dead . Happened on Day Five of the rally while support vehicle was traveling with rest of team . The Race2Recovery teammates were flown to hospital in Lima . Team to continue quest to complete Dakar Rally by final stage on January 20 .