Dakar Rally's '16 Edition Reportedly In Question Due To Changes To Route

The '16 edition of the Dakar Rally "is in question" after the new route "was not announced" on Tuesday following Perú dropping out at the "last minute," according to LOS ANDES. Peru's withdrawal "altered the plans for the competition, which had already suffered the loss of Chile from the route." Chile's government made that decision after a storm hit northern Chile in March, "choosing to allocate funding to reconstruction in that area." On Tuesday, "it was expected that the new Dakar 2016 route would be presented, with three stages in Bolivia and the final in Rosario, but as of now no definitive plans to define the route have been announced." The changes from the initial route, which was to depart in Lima, "forced a restructuring of the budget, which could put the competition at risk." It has been held in South America since '09 (LOS ANDES, 9/16).