Dakar Rally 2019 To Be Solely Raced in Peru

Starting and finishing in Lima, Peru’s capital city, the Dakar Rally 2019 will for the first time in history be raced solely in one country. The 10-stage race will take place from January 6-17 of next year.

Peru became the sole host after both Argentina and Chile declined to host stages of the race due to austerity measures and Bolivia failed to agree on a route with the race organizers, France-based Amaury Sport Organization (ASO).

The Peruvian government, aware of the costs associated with hosting such an international event, believe that it will serve to positively impact the economy, particularly its tourism economy.

Peru’s desert terrain will make this one of the most technically challenging races to date. Its looping rally-route will feature dunes, sand, and open terrain and each stage will be harder than the one before it.

The Dakar Rally, which previously took place in Africa, was moved from the continent in 2009 due to security issues that forced the 2008 rally to be cancelled. It has been raced in South America ever since.