After the 2008 Dakar Rally was canceled in January due to security threats, everyone wondered if and when it would return. A few days ago, this years' race was confirmed to run from April 20 to 26 in sections of Central Europe. The 3000-kilometer race will start in Budapest, head east the Romanian city of Sovata, then head back to Hungary and finish in the town of Balatonfured. That is news on its own, but the bigger more interesting news is the 2009 Rally.
The 2009 race is scheduled to go 6,000 kilometers and run from Jan 3rd to the 18th, beginning and ending in Buenos Aires and running through both Argentina and Chile. Details on the route are thin, but the 2009 Dakar site is already up and running. Lobbying for tickets to South America has already begun in earnest, with Wert mentioning something about budgets and overlords. [Central European Details via Sportbusiness] [South American Rally via Dakar Website"</>]