The head of Chilean Tourism, Oscar Santelices, has offered up his homeland as a possible venue for the recently cancelled Dakar Rally. The grueling event, which was recently cancelled due to terrorist threats, might be rescheduled in a different location sometime in February and Chile is now in the running with Australia, China and Russia.
If the event would take place in Chile, parts of the race would be held through the northern Atacama Desert, apparently the world's driest arid landsacape, and the local for the annual Patagonia-Atacama rally. We're sure that Santelices offer is more than just a goodwill gesture, considering the amount of revenue the event could provide, however, he made it clear to local media that no financial support would be offered from the government.
Thanks to all that tipped in!
[Source: ESPN]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
EMC @ Jan 8th 2008 8:11PM
good move!
A Dakar rally hosted in Chile is better than no rally at all!
kay @ Jan 8th 2008 8:18PM
Chile, Australia, China or Russia?
hmmm.... I pick, yes!
DS @ Jan 8th 2008 8:20PM
Id go with Chile
mostly dry sand so there wont be any crashing into rocks
EMC @ Jan 8th 2008 8:28PM
awww, but thats the fun part! :P
Maestro1 @ Jan 8th 2008 8:46PM
I'm sure there'll be quite a few mountain stages so no worries. If they do go to Chile it'll still be awesome and a worthy substitute.
Bring It On!!!
PandaBeat @ Jan 8th 2008 9:05PM
I like Chile more than all the mentioned countries.
steveo391 @ Jan 8th 2008 9:43PM
I'd like to a race like this in Russia just think instead of racing in a hot desert they could race through the arctic circle.
chuck goolsbee @ Jan 8th 2008 10:05PM
Viva Chile!
Trade and commerce is what makes the world turn, not guns & religion. If the nutbars of the world don't want you, then go where you *are* wanted.
--chuck
http://chuck.goolsbee.org
Bert @ Jan 8th 2008 10:09PM
I can see the "Dakar" going global, with a yearly race that moves around year to year.
Mauricio @ Jan 8th 2008 10:52PM
My vote for Chile, a splendid desert and wonderful wines.
Viva Chile !!!
Tim Dennison @ Jan 9th 2008 12:33AM
Anything for a buck, I guess, as long as it ends in some politico's back pocket. The Atacama is one of the world's driest areas and the eco-system it can support (mostly sub-surface) is one of the most delicate on earth. Very dumb to pummel it with 4x4's to prove that massive horsepower and mounds of money can conquer sand. The Wild West died ages ago, boys and girls, time to wake up.
jgp @ Jan 9th 2008 7:01AM
Aww, it's a leftie. How cute!
AzzardX @ Jan 9th 2008 12:34AM
Chile, Australia, China, Russia... whatever, it's good news that the civilized world wants to hold such an important automotive event on their soil instead of North Africa, far away from those islamic savages (do not read 'muslims', these are very good guys). Though I hope it'll go back eventually when these animals get tamed.
Benoît RIEU @ Jan 9th 2008 1:38AM
I think that you're off route Damon, no pun intended. The Dakar for the current year IS cancelled. Patrice Clerc, CEO of ASO, the rally's organizer, explained it last weekend on France 2 (the channel), no doubt about it, and they begin to refund the drivers and riders. Plainly.
Besides, they're studying a new route that would cross sub saharan Africa to rally the city of Dakar, for 2009, and South America is just NEXT on the list.
Guess we can't avoid people from Chile making some buzz for their country, but that's totally wrong.
HotRodzNKustoms @ Jan 9th 2008 3:28AM
A rally through the artic circle of Russia would be interesting. Oh oh oh let's have a rally from South Africa to the North Pole and back!
Avinash machado @ Jan 9th 2008 6:13AM
The Australian outback could also be a good place to hold it.
ritocs @ Jan 9th 2008 6:45AM
Chile, Australia, China or Russia, sounds great all; but it's never going to be called Dakar Rally again.
Ben H. @ Jan 9th 2008 9:10AM
Chile to Dakar? Amphibious cars? =]
dafool @ Jan 9th 2008 9:40AM
Moving the race to Australia would be great, except we already have one (but not to the same scale). I personally would love to see the 'Peking (Beijing) to Paris' make a comeback.
Quattrofan @ Jan 9th 2008 9:42AM
Don't hold your breath as this is never gonna happen. It's called Paris - Dakar for a freaking reason. You don't run 24 hr Daytona at Brands Hatch for the same reason.