By Jonathan Bell

The 2012 Dakar Rally is heading to Peru as South America was chosen to host the event for the fourth consecutive time. Peru will play host to the final four stages of the off-road rally race after the drivers have completed the first stages in Argentina and Chile.

The two week race starts on January 1^st in Mar del Plata, Argentina with one rest day in Chile on the 8^th and the finish in Lima on the 15^th.

• Argentina – Opening and first five stages

Competitors will begin the journey following the starting ceremony in Argentina’s busy touristic city of Mar del Plata. The veterans of the course will be well used to journeying across the country as they make a bee-line towards the Andes.

• Chile – next five stages and a rest day

The entrance to Chile will be welcomed by a climb for the drivers, and they will navigate the track between ocean and mountains.

• Peru – final four stages and the grand finish

Once they hit Peru on the 12^th January it will take four marathon days of driving to the conclusion. These days will be set out as follows:

• Day One: Arica (Chile) – Tacna – Arequipa
• Day Two: Arequipa – Playa Tanaka – Nazca
• Day Three: Nazca – Palpa – Asia
• Day Four: To Lima, past the finish line and on to the awards ceremony at the Plaza de Armas.

Background to the event

Originally named “The Paris-Dakar”, this event has been running since its inaugural season in 1979. As the former name suggests, the Dakar Rally, ran in Europe and Africa, with competitors leaving Paris, France and racing to Dakar, Senegal.

This was the case until 2008 when the civilian government of African country Mauritania was overthrown in a military coup, leading to security threats and the cancellation of the event. With this in mind, the organizers relocated to South America from 2009 onwards.

Technically, it’s not a rally, but more of a ‘rally-raid’ which is an off-road endurance race where the terrain is much more varied and difficult than the traditional rallying. Specialist, competitive sections include: dunes, camel grass, mud, off-road and rocks. Daily distances vary anywhere from a couple of hundred miles to as many as 500-560 miles.

What does the Dakar Rally mean for Peru?

Potentially, quite a lot. Studies suggest that the competition as a whole generates around $70 million of revenue for the host country, on top of television coverage that is seen in more than 90 countries around the world. Peru has paid $5 million dollars in order to get the Dakar Rally to the country and it has been estimated that it should make $30 million, just from additional tourism.

An official press conference will take place in Lima on 12^th April to welcome the country and add more details about the competition. The previous three years has seen the event take place across Chile and Argentina, and this year lasted between the 1^st and 16^th January.

While planning your trip, take a look at the following luxury South America travel packages and South America tour packages.

Tags: arequipa, dakar, nazca, off-road, palpa, race, sports, tacna