MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina and Chile will host Dakar Rally 2010

The rugged terrains of the Andes and Patagonia where the competition will take place

Following the success of the 2009 Dakar Rally, Argentina and Chile have once again been awarded the 2010 Dakar Rally. The rally will start and finish in Buenos Aires, with stages taking place in both Argentina and Chile.

Speaking for the Dakar organisers Mr. Etienne Lavigne praised the smooth running of the 2009 Dakar Rally, “Following a really successful 2009 Dakar Rally, hosted jointly by Argentina and Chile, we are pleased to announce that the 2010 Dakar Rally will once again be returning to South America.”

Speaking from Buenos Aires Minister of Tourism Enrique Meyer said, “This is great news from Paris, the people of Argentina are proud to welcome back the Dakar Rally; it will be a great way to start 2010 which is our bicentennial year.”

Following the formal announcement by Mr. Lavigne, the Dakar Rally Director, the executive secretary of INPROTUR, the Argentine tourist authority Mr. Leonardo Boto said, “This is a major success for Argentina; it will be a boost for our tourism industry and for our international prestige. It will be a fantastic opportunity for the rest of the world to see the real Argentina. We have so much to offer visitors to our country. We will do everything possible to make the 2010 rally a success.”

The 32nd Dakar Rally will start in Buenos Aires on Friday 1st of January 2010 and returns to the Argentine capital for the finish on Sunday 17th January.

The 2009 Rally attracted participants from forty-nine countries, with over 3 million spectators along the route and an estimated worldwide television audience of over 2.2 billion.