MOST UNFORGIVING LANDSCAPE ON THE PLANET

+ Click to Enlarge OFFICIAL INSPECTION: Dakar rally scrutineers (in grey) check out a privately entered Mitsubishi Pajero ahead of the January 1 start. Image: AFP

December 31, 2009

The Dakar rally has come a long way in the three decades since its inception in 1978, though few would have predicted it would become a journey across a large chunk of South America, starting in Buenos Aires on Friday, January 1.

Yet 2008's transatlantic switch proved successful enough to convince organisers of the merits of a return to latino climes and the competitors will be going after South African Giniel de Villiers and Spaniard Marc Coma's titles in the car and motorcycle sections respectively.

The race, originally known as the Paris-Dakar, once bridged Europe and Africa, starting in the French capital - at least until 1995 - before moving to the gruelling terrain of northern Africa.

Political instability brought a change of scenery in 2009 - the 2008 edition was cancelled amid security concerns after the murder of four French tourists in December 2007 in Mauritania, where the rally was to have spent several days.

Ironically, the race had been due to start, not from France, but Lisbon for a third consecutive year.

The political climate may be somewhat less dangerous in South America but the mainly amateur racers could hardly imagine tougher terrain as they embark on their 9000km adventure.

After three relatively smooth stages the race will head into Chile and and the most unforgiving landscape on the planet, not least the bone-dry Atacama desert, a lifeless, ultra-arid zone which is said to be 50 times drier than Death Valley in the US.

Stunning as the area is, the competitors will have no time to admire the scenery as they negotiate the Martian-like dunes along the route to the city of Iquique.

By the time the racers have their rest day on January 9 at Antofagasta they will have earned it, after 6000km of mainly off-road tracks.

After the ultra-tough middle section the stages will be a little easier as sand gives way to more varied surfaces on the route back to Buenos Aires through the hills of Mendoza province.

The final three stages will be more than 700km each before the adventure comes to an end in the Argentine capital on January 16.

'DAKAR IS A PASSION'

Tough as the race will be, French legend Stephane Peterhansel, six times winner of the motorcyle event and three times auto section winner, can't wait to do it again.

"Dakar is a passion," he said on Wednesday.

Peterhansel, now 44, threatened to retire after dropping out of the 2008 Dakar on stage seven with a broken engine and then seeing Mitsubishi leave the sport for financial reasons but has now joined BMW.

He said: "This is really different - I'm with a team that has never won the Dakar. Maybe I'm an outsider but in my head I'm up there with the favourites."

He may yet retire after the 2010 Dakar - "but it would be good to sign off with a win!".

STAGES

January 1: Buenos Aires - Colon (317 km)
January 2: Colon - Cordoba (652km/219km special for motorbikes, 684km/251km special for cars)
January 3: Cordoba - La Rioja (626km/294km special for motorbikes, 687km/355km special for cars)
January 4: La Rioja - Fiambala (441km/182km special)
January 5: Fiambala - Copiapo (629km/203km special)
January 6: Copiapo - Antofagasta (670km/483km special)
January 7: Antofagasta - Iquique (598km/418km special)
January 8: Iquique - Antofagasta (641km/600km special)
January 9: Rest day
January 10: Antofagasta - Copiapo (568km/472km special)
January 11: Copiapo - La Serena (547km/338km special)
January 12: La Serena - Santiago (586km/238km special)
January 13: Santiago - San Juan (434km/220km special)
January 14: San Juan - San Rafael (796km/476km special)
January 15: San Rafael - Santa Rosa (725km/368km special)
January 16: Santa Rosa - Buenos Aires (707km/206km special)

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