The 41st edition of the Dakar Rally will be held in Peru

The 41st edition of the Dakar Rally, from January 6th to 17th, 2019, will have a ten-stage route and will be held entirely in Peru, said Etienne Lavigne, the race director, who is looking to return to Africa in 2020.

Due to the withdrawal of Chile and Bolivia in recent days, the race, created in 1978, will take place for the first time in just one country, with both the start and finish in Lima.

Facing the difficulties encountered in South America, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the company that manages the race, has "high-level contacts" with several African nations, including Algeria, Namibia, and Angola, to possibly return to the continent where the Dakar once experienced glory, revealed Lavigne.

The 2018 edition started in Lima and crossed through Bolivia before ending in Cordoba, Argentina.

"It is clear that it is a less ambitious route than what we initially planned, but it will still be interesting because we will make the stages denser in very beautiful environments, with sand dunes," explained Lavigne.

"We will be 100% Dakar in terms of navigation, overcoming dunes, and driving in that wonderful Peruvian desert," he added.

As a result, "it will be a physically demanding Dakar that will require a very good physical condition and overcoming techniques that are not mastered by everyone."

With the withdrawal of Peugeot Sport, ASO could face a decrease in the number of participants in the next edition, especially in the large group of Argentine participants.

Regarding the return to Africa, the race director said: "We have already taken the Dakar to South Africa and Egypt, truly magical places."

"If we cannot stay in South America, we need to find countries that have geographies that can allow us to imagine ten or twelve days of competition," he added.

The Dakar left Africa for security reasons, which led to the cancellation of the 2008 edition. Since 2009, it has been held in South America.