04 Jan 08 15:42
Mitsubishi won 2007 rally
The 2008 Dakar Rally, due to kick off in Lisbon on 5th January, has been cancelled over safety concerns. This year's endurance event was intended to be the most gruelling in the Rally's 30-year history, with its 9,273km course winding across Portugal, Spain, Morocco and Mauretania to Dakar, Senegal, but the cancellation is due to security worries rather than daunting desert conditions: terrorist groups in Mauretania are said to have issued direct threats to the race organisers and participants.
The French government has been advising people not to travel to Mauretania since the murder of four French tourists there on 24th December. The Amaury Sport Organisation, organiser of the rally, has issued a statement:
'Following several consultations with the French government and taking into account its firm recommendations, the organisers of the Dakar have taken the decision to cancel the 2008 edition of the rally. Based on the current international political tension and the murder of four French tourists, but also and mainly the direct threats launched directly against the race by terrorist organizations, no other decision but the cancellation could be taken. The ASO's first responsibility is to guarantee the safety of all...
'The Dakar is a symbol and nothing can destroy symbols. The cancellation of the 2008 edition does not endanger the future of the Dakar.'
