The Dakar Rally has been one of the highlights of the January Sports Calendar for almost thirty years. It was the brainchild of Thierry Sabine who got lost on his motorbike in the Libyan desert during the Abidjan-Nice Rally.The Paris to Dakar Rally is open to amateurs and professionals, men and women.The three major competitive groups in the Dakar are the bike class, the car class, which ranges from buggies to small SUVs, and the T4 truck class.
Thierry Sabine's saw his plans come to fruition on 26 December 1978, as 182 vehicles turned up in the Place du Trocadéro (Paris) for a 10,000-kilometre journey to Dakar (Senegal).
Each year the rally travelled through Spain crossed the Mediterranean to North Africa and took in large sections of the Sahara Desert in countries such as Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali and Senegal. From time to time the route changed and it has also taken in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Burkina-Faso.
Unfortunately in 2008 the rally was cancelled because of terrorist threats emanating from organizations operating in Mauritania and Mali- believed to be linked to Al Qaeda.
To combat the terrorist threats the organizers -in a stroke of genius-have decided to move the rally across the Atlantic Ocean to South America. It will take in stages in Argentina and Chile. Africa's loss is South America's gain. Eighty TV channels in 189 countries will relay news of the race. The first stage commences on 03/01/09 in Buenos Aires.
From the Dakar homepage:
An extreme adventure between two oceans
The Dakar 2009 is off to discover a new continent, South America that offers unlimited possibilities to amateurs of wide open spaces. The round trip to Buenos Aires, via Valparaiso is a challenge in which the most enduring competitors will find their way and have the opportunity to distinguish themselves. With close to 6,000 kilometres of specials and difficulties scattered on the whole course, the battle for the title will remain wide open until the finish.
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