On the fourth of this month, Dakar Rally organizer Amaury Sport Organization officially announced that the rally will not be held due to the significant safety concerns divulged by the French Government in connection with the stages in Mauritania.
After different exchanges with the French government particularly the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the organizers of the Dakar decided to cancel this year's edition of the rally, which is set from the 5th to the 20th of January between Lisbon and Senegal's capital.
Based on the current international political tension and the murder of four French tourists last 24th of December linked to a branch of Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb and also and mainly the direct threats launched directly against the race by terrorist organizations, no other decision but the cancellation of the sporting event could be taken by A.S.O, according to a Dakar release.
"It is with great regret that Volkswagen acknowledges the cancellation of the 30th Dakar Rally," said a release following the announcement a day prior to the scheduled start of the endurance classic. "The safety of every single participant has absolute priority and for this reason Volkswagen completely and utterly endorses the decision made by the organizers ASO to cancel the start of the Dakar Rally originally scheduled for 5 January," said Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, a Board Member with the responsibility for Technical Development at Volkswagen.
"We are obviously very unhappy about the cancellation, since we prepared for this rally for an entire year and were extremely well equipped for this sporting challenge," he told SuperSport.
It seems that the will be taking a short rest in Dakar. "We fully respect the decision for safety purposes, which also have absolute priority for us. The cancellation is a great disappointment for every member of the Volkswagen Motorsport team, particularly as everybody was looking forward to starting this fair sporting competition," said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen.
Dakar should have finished, as is tradition, after 15 stages and about 9,300 kilometers in the Senegalese capital city. The supposedly 30th edition of the race would involve over 550 car, truck and bike drivers.
Last year, 300 of 490 entrants reached the finish line after crossing deserts, scrubland and savannas. The notorious toughness was highlighted in 2007 by the deaths of French rider Eric Aubijoux, who suffered a heart attack during an untimed section near Dakar, and South African motorcyclist Elmer Symons who died in a crash during the fourth stage in Morocco, reported The Canadian Press.
The rally has other fears. France's government cautioned organizers Thursday to avoid Mauritania after four French family members were killed, while picnicking on a holiday there.
In a statement, rally organizers said that they had taken France's warning into account, adding they had also received guarantees from the Mauritanian government.
