Argentina – Chile 2011: the route and new features
The organisers of the Dakar this morning unveiled the route of the 33rd edition, which will take place from 1st to 16th January 2011 in Argentina and Chile. Competitor enrolment will open on 15th May on www.dakar.com
For this third episode in South America, the riders, drivers and crews will be returning to some places that have already written themselves into the rally’s legend, such as the white dunes of Fiambala, the vast Atacama Desert or the dizzying descent to Iquique. More particularly, they will have the opportunity to discover five new Argentinean provinces, come close to Bolivia and encounter the very northern tip of Chile in Arica, at the gateway to Peru.
In order to respect the rally-raid spirit; the rules will continue to change in 2011, with all elite riders in the bike category obliged to ride on a machine whose power does not exceed 450cc. Furthermore, the GPS functions have been reduced for guidance to the WPM (way point markers), giving priority to reading and mastering the road-book.
The collaboration between the rally’s teams and the various bodies in charge of environmental matters has continued during all the preparatory phases for the Dakar 2011, with particular care given to avoiding sensitive areas on the path of the rally’s route. Additionally, a new assessment of the race’s carbon footprint has been commissioned to determine the greenhouse gas emissions related to the rally.
For more than 30 years in Africa, and now in South America, the rally has teamed up with many initiatives to establish links with the people that welcome it. The context of rebuilding currently experienced by Chile has incited the organisers to develop aid with housing, via the charity Un Techo Para Mi Pais (www.untechoparamipais.org).
The Dakar World Tour, a series of presentations of the rally intended for competitors, partners and the media, will take place in 17 different countries, starting on 6th May.
For all the news on the Dakar and the dates of the Dakar World Tour, visit www.dakar.com