The 2008 Dakar Rally would have been the 30th running of the annual off-road race. The rally was to start in Lisbon, Portugal on 5 January 2008, running through Europe and Africa until the finish in Dakar, Senegal on 20 January. The event was cancelled one day before the intended start date, due to concerns over a possible terrorist attack aimed at the competitors.
Postponement and Relocation
The rally was cancelled on 4 January 2008, due to safety concerns in Mauritania, following the killing of four French tourists there on Christmas Eve, December 2007. France-based Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), in charge of the rally, said in a statement they had been advised by the French government to cancel the race. They said direct threats had also been made against the event by "terrorist organizations". Before the start of the race, rally director Étienne Lavigne had approved the Mauritanian legs only after two stages planned for Mali were scrapped. An Al-Qaeda affiliate organization was blamed for the cancellation.Future of Dakar Rally now in doubt
On 4 February 2008, the ASO organised the Central Europe Rally, with a Hungary to Romania route, to occupy the gap left by the cancellation of the event, as part of the new Dakar Series. The event only lasted one year. The Dakar Rally was relocated to South America from 2009 until 2019, and in 2020 the event moved to Saudi Arabia.
Entrants As of December 2007, entrants included 245 motorbikes, 20 quads, 205 cars, and 100 trucks. A total of 570 teams from various 50 countries were entered, up from 510 in 2007.
All entries were deferred to the Central Europe Rally. 110 motorbikes, 19 quads, 91 cars, and 40 trucks started the Central Europe Rally.
Route The race would have begun in Lisbon, Portugal, and passed through Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, and Senegal. The total race distance would have been , of which was timed special stage. There would have been a rest day in Nouakchott on 13 January.
Planned stages StageDateFromToConnectionSpecialConnectionTotal km mi km mi km mi km mi15 January Lisbon Portimão26 January Portimão Málaga 37 January Nador Er Rachidia 48 January Er Rachidia Ouarzazate 59 January Ouarzazate Guelmim 610 January Guelmim Smara† 711 January Smara† Atar 812 January Atar Nouakchott 13 January Nouakchott colspan="8" 914 January Nouakchott Nouadhibou 1015 January Nouadhibou Atar 1116 January Atar Tidjikja 1217 January Tidjikja Kiffa 1318 January Kiffa Kiffa 1419 January Kiffa Saint-Louis 1520 January Saint-Louis Dakar km mi km mi km mi km mi †Smara is located in the Moroccan-administered portion of the Western Sahara
References