2009 Dakar Rally South America

The Dakar Rally, originally held in Africa, has now shifted to South America for the first time because of security fears and it doesn't look like it will come back in the near future. The cancellation in north Africa last year happened because of terrorist acts in Mauritania....on Christmas Eve 2007 four French tourists were killed by Islamist terrorists. There is also the looming threat from al-Qaeda. Omar Osama bin Laden, one of Osama bin Laden's sons, even offered to organise a 4,500km Camel Rally in Dakar's place!


America's Robby Gordon powers his Hummer over a sand dune during the 2009 Dakar Rally. Photo: AP

Maybe it's destiny, because Thierry Sabine, the founder of the Dakar Rally, had always said that the race should visit other continents and other deserts. The South American route goes through Argentina and Chile crossing a variety of terrain: sandy tracks with jumps, mud flats, dry tracks, and hills. Apart from the terrain the high performance tires, the riders and support crew also face the heat, because it is now summer in the southern hemisphere.

The 2009 Dakar Rally has 540 teams and more than 1,000 competitors. Carlos Sainz won the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally to regain the overall lead from South African Giniel De Villiers on Friday. In the motorcycle category defending champion Cyril Despres, who won the race in 2005, took the motorcycle stage six of the Dakar Rally, while Chilean Francisco Lopez won the 7th stage, with Spain's Marc Coma keeping his overall top spot.

French motorcycle rider Pascal Terry was found dead and support crew have been killed in the 2009 Dakar Rally. In its 30-year history the Dakar has claimed the lives of 51 riders, back-up personnel and spectators or other innocent bystanders.

Meanwhile Africa has not been forgotten. Without sponsors, news coverage, and spectators, a small group of 27 drivers are participating in a "Africa Race" on the old Dakar Rally route through the stony and dry terrain of Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal. This event has been organized by three-times Dakar Rally champion Hubert Auriol.