The 2017 Dakar Rally isn’t until January of next year, but that hasn’t stopped the ASO from whetting our appetites on the iconic race, with the French organization releasing the details on the route for the 2017 Dakar Rally.
As we reported earlier, Chilé opted out of hosting the 2017 Dakar Rally, and the ASO confirms that next year’s route will go through Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay – the latter being a new venue for the Dakar Rally, since it’s move from Africa to South America.
Paraguay’s capital and largest city, Asunción will host the start of The Dakar, and will be the only stop for competitors in Paraguay. This is because the bulk of the route takes place still in Argentina, with only four stops planned in Bolivia.
Like last year’s edition, the 2017 Dakar Rally will have plenty of high-altitude stages, especially in Bolivia, which will not only rob power from the vehicles, but also suck the energy from competitors.
The altitude and physical undertakings of the modern Dakar Rally have come to such an extreme that the risk of altitude-related injuries is very real, catching a few competitors out during last year’s race.
Finishing in Buenos Aires, the Dakar Rally’s ending in Argentina should be a venue that’s familiar to Dakar veterans, but as always, the route is anything but easy.
We can expect four manufacturers to vie for the rally win, with KTM, Honda, Husqvarna, and Yamaha Racing all showing the ability to win stages. Who can remain consistent and fast through the two weeks, well that remains to be seen.
So far, the advantage has been to KTM – winning the last 15 editions of the rally raid.
Source: Dakar
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