Peru will be the sole host of Dakar's 41st edition taking place on January 6-17, 2019, Rally Director Etienne Lavigne informed Friday.
Given that Chile and Bolivia declined to host this race, the route —comprising 10 stages— will start and end in the Inca country's
capital city of Lima, the officer told AFP.
Last year's race toured across
Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina.
According to Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the company currently assesses the possibility of returning to Africa due to some struggles it had in South America.
As is known, the
Dakar Rally had left the African continent for security reasons, which led to the cancellation of its 2008 edition.
Since 2009, this competition has been held in South America.
"It is clear the route is less ambitious than what we had initially planned, but it will continue to be interesting (…)," Lavigne noted.
"We will be 100% Dakar in terms of navigation, overcoming challenges in dunes, and driving across this wonderful Peruvian desert," he added.
As is known, Peru has previously hosted Dakar editions in 2012, 2013, and 2018.
(END) AFP/JSO/JAA/MVB