Dakar Rally To Kick Off Jan. 5, Route Will Take Drivers Through Bolivia's Salt Flats

The 2014 Dakar Rally will propose, in five stages, "different routes for the cars and motorcycles," which the event's organizers said will "increase difficulty and make the race more interesting," according to the EFE. Details were announced Wednesday in Paris. The race will begin Jan. 5 in Rosario, Argentina. From there, "it will head north to Bolivia," and end Jan. 18 in Valparaiso, Chile. Dakar Dir Etienne Lavigne highlighted the "logistical difficulty that will come during racing in Bolivia's Uyuni salt flats." Lavigne: "The cars will go on routes not marked by motorcycles, which will make navigation interesting. They will have to open up the track, and this could complicate the stages. Also, we will reduce the risk of accidents." The rally will feature "more than 430 cars and 700 drivers from more than 50 different nationalities, with Argentina and Chile as the third- and fifth-most represented countries, respectively" (EFE, 11/20).