For its 4th South American edition, the Dakar’s route will be experiencing a change of scenery in 2012, with, instead of the previous years’ loops, a journey that will take the competitors from Mar del Plata, in Argentina, to Lima, the capital of Peru, via Chile and the dunes of the Atacama Desert.
With the announcement of the route for the Dakar 2012, the organisers have approached the South American map from a new angle, to provide a different perspective. Between the 1st and 15th of January, the riders, drivers and co-pilots will be tackling a route that measures 9,000 kilometres in total, navigating between oceans, mountains and desserts. Enhancing the relations built up with the continent, this year the rally will discover Peru, giving the adventure a pan-American feel: the three biggest Hispanic countries in the world are on the programme. To officialise this alliance, the Chairman of the Peruvian Institute of Sports, Arturo Woodman Pollitt, travelled to Paris for the presentation of the event, where he was joined by Enrique Meyer, Argentina’s Minister for Tourism, and by Gabriel Ruiz Tagle, the Secretary of State for Sport in Chile.
From Mar del Plata to Lima
The Dakar 2012 schedule
12th April – 17th May: Dakar World Tour
12th April: Peru (Lima)
13th April: Chile (Santiago)
19th April: Argentina (Mar del Plata)
19th April: Spain (Barcelona)
20th April: Belgium (Brussels)
21st April: The Netherlands (Eindhoven)
28th April: Central Europe (Prague)
5th May: Italy (Milan)
17th May: China (Beijing)
16th May: enrolment opens
November: shipping of European vehicles
29th to 31st December: technical and administrative scrutineering in Mar del Plata
1st January: briefing, starting ceremony and 1st special stage of the rally
8th January: rest day in Chile
15th January: last special stage, before the finishing ceremony in Lima
