There won’t be Argentina in the 2019 Dakar Rally, but Ecuador will enter for the first time. Photo credit: Honda Racing
After ten straight years included in the Dakar Rally, Argentina might be dropped from the toughest off-road race in the World. According to Argentinian news portal El Tribuno, the next edition of the Dakar won’t have any stages in Argentina, and instead will be going up in the south American continent, to Ecuador, the first time this country enters the Dakar.
At this moment neither Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), the company organizing the Dakar, or the Argentinian government have issued an official statement regarding this big change in the event, but it’s almost a given fact that Ecuador has already reached a deal with ASO to be included in the 2019 Dakar Rally.
ASO will announce details of next years event in a few weeks’ time, but sources say that Argentina has changed its focus to bring Formula1 to the country, and so it decided to drop the Dakar from the events that have government support.
During the 2017 Dakar, ASO and the Argentinian government already tried to reach an agreement, but negotiations failed.
If Ecuador is confirmed as being part of the next Dakar instead of Argentina, as is expected soon, this will be the first time since 2009 that this south American country won’t be part of the toughest off-road race in the world.
Also worth mention that Bolivia, who has been in the race for five years in a row, won’t have stages in 2019. This is due to the fact that racers have complained about the stages in Bolivia, mainly the rough connections during the stages with a lot of problems, and also because Bolivians are against the race itself making their voices heard with the slogan “We don’t want the Dakar!”.
As for countries that will be part of the 2019 Dakar Rally, and not counting with Ecuador, the race will have stages in Peru and Chile is supposed to announce its return after three years absent.