The 2009 edition of the prestigious Dakar motor racing rally will be hosted by Chile and Argentina according to the event's organizers. The move came nearly a month after this year’s rally was cancelled due to a “terrorist risk" in Mauritania. Details of the course will be revealed Tuesday though AFP mentioned that the rally will cover over 5000 miles and start and finish in Buenos Aires.Though the competition is expected to cross areas like the Atacama Desert, the Andes, and the Patagonia, the race's organizer said that the rally will return to the African continent:
Rally director Etienne Lavigne said that the Dakar was not leaving Africa for good.
"The Dakar is visiting South America, it's not quitting Africa. [The cancellation of Dakar 2008] cost us tens of millions of Euros but we did well to err on the side of caution because three weeks later there was another attack in the centre of Nouakchott," said Lavigne.
"In Argentina and Chile, we are guaranteed to find the ingredients that make up the spirit of the Dakar.
Sources- Reuters UK, AFP, The Telegraph, BBC Sport
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