BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Moved from Africa due to the threat of terrorism, the Dakar Rally starts Friday with a symbolic drive in Argentina's capital before heading out on an adventure that will cover nearly 6,000 miles.
The rally crosses the Pampas, heads into Patagonia, arrives at the Andes next Thursday, drives into Chile the following day, cruises alongside the Pacific Ocean for five days and finally heads back to Buenos Aires on Jan. 18.
"The drivers will discover a new territory, another landscape, but they are imbued with the same spirit of competition and adventure," rally director Etienne Levigne said.
The 2008 race was canceled because of security fears after four French tourists and three Mauritanian soldiers were killed before the start. The French government warned of a terrorist threat, and the race was called off for the first time in its 30-year history.
Levigne promised it would race again, and moved the rally to South America with the hope of returning to Dakar in 2011 or 2012.
Dakar's South American version will include an unofficial 530 vehicles made up of 82 trucks, 188 cars, 30 quad bikes and 230 motorcycles, nearly all of them shipped from Europe. The race will cover 14 stages and 5,949 miles.
After a parade from the Obelisk in the center of Buenos Aires to a park in Palermo, where the race will officially start on Saturday, the first stage is 455 miles south to Santa Rosa.
