Organizers (Amaury Sport Organisation, ASO) cancelled the 2008 Dakar Rally one day before its planned start in Lisbon. The decision followed security warnings tied to threats and violence along the intended route, including concerns focused on Mauritania. This cancellation ended the original “Paris–Dakar” era’s continuity and forced ASO to find a safer long-term home for the event.
The rally returned in 2009 with a new base in South America, beginning in Buenos Aires and running across Argentina and Chile. This was the first time the Dakar was held outside Europe and Africa, marking a major geographic and cultural shift for teams and host regions. The move helped the event continue while avoiding the security risks that ended the 2008 edition.
The 2010 Dakar Rally again ran in Argentina and Chile, showing that the 2009 relocation was not a one-off solution. Keeping the rally in South America allowed organizers to build local logistics, government support, and a repeatable route design. This continuity helped teams adapt their planning, vehicles, and navigation to new terrain.
Organizers publicly announced that Argentina and Chile would host the Dakar again in 2011, with a start and finish in Buenos Aires. The announcement signaled stable partnerships with South American governments and reassured competitors after the earlier security-driven cancellation. It also reinforced that the rally’s identity was shifting from a single “Paris–Dakar” route to a rotating international format.
In 2012 the Dakar expanded beyond Argentina and Chile by adding Peru, introducing new coastal desert dunes and navigation challenges. This expansion showed how the South American “Dakar” could keep evolving by bringing in new host countries. It also helped broaden the rally’s regional footprint and audience.
The 2013 edition began in Lima, making Peru a launch point rather than just a pass-through country. Starting on the Pacific coast emphasized the rally’s new flexibility: it could reposition its opening and closing cities to reshape the sporting challenge and media attention. The route then continued through Chile and Argentina, underlining the multi-country South American model.
In 2014 Bolivia first became part of the Dakar route, adding high-altitude racing conditions that affect engines, vehicles, and human performance. The inclusion expanded the rally’s terrain types beyond dunes and gravel into thin-air mountain regions. This change increased the importance of endurance planning and acclimatization alongside pure speed.
The 2015 rally started and finished in Buenos Aires after running through Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia. A start-and-finish loop made logistics more predictable while still delivering diverse terrain and cross-border stages. The repeated use of multiple countries also showed that the “Dakar” name had become a traveling brand rather than a fixed endpoint in Senegal.
The 2017 Dakar began in Asunción, Paraguay and finished in Buenos Aires, continuing the pattern of rotating host countries. That year also introduced a new UTV (side-by-side) category, reflecting changes in off-road vehicle technology and participation. Adding UTVs broadened the event’s competitive structure while the route still relied on Argentina and Bolivia’s established terrain.
The 2019 Dakar ran entirely within Peru for the first time, starting and finishing in Lima over 10 stages. Concentrating the race in one country simplified border logistics but raised the importance of consistent navigation in extensive sand and dunes. It also hinted that the rally’s long-term location in South America was becoming more flexible and potentially temporary.
In March 2019, long-serving director Étienne Lavigne stepped down and David Castera was appointed as rally director. Leadership changes mattered because Dakar’s format depends heavily on route design, safety planning, and relationships with host countries. The new director soon oversaw the rally’s next major geographic move.
In April 2019, ASO presented details for the 2020 Dakar route in Saudi Arabia, with a start planned in Jeddah and a finish near Riyadh (Al-Qiddiya). Publicly revealing the route signaled that a major relocation was locked in and that the rally was entering a new “chapter” outside South America. The announcement also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s vast desert areas as central to the sporting challenge.
The 2020 Dakar Rally became the first edition held in Saudi Arabia, starting in Jeddah and finishing in Al-Qiddiya after 12 stages. This move ended the 11-edition South American run (2009–2019) that began after the 2008 cancellation. By 2020, the Dakar’s identity had fully shifted from the historic Paris-to-Dakar route into a global rally-raid that relocates for safety, logistics, and terrain access.
Dakar Rally: From Paris–Dakar to Saudi Arabia (2008-2020)