[Phils20]

Wow. Cancelled due to safety concerns. This is a real bummer.


Dakar Rally canceled due to safety concerns, TV partner says

The Associated Press

PARIS – The Dakar Rally was canceled Friday on the eve of the event due to concerns about safety in Mauritania.
Daniel Bilalian of France-Televisions, a TV partner of the endurance rally, told Europe-1 radio that “wisdom had prevailed” and the event had been canceled. One day earlier, the French government had expressed concerns about the event after the slaying of four members of a French family in Mauritania.
French ministers discussed safety at the rally at a Cabinet meeting Thursday and foreign ministry officials met with the French organizers, government spokesman Laurent Wauquiez said.
“The ministry strongly warns all French citizens against going to Mauritania until further orders,” Wauquiez said. “That goes for all French, as well as the organization of the Lisbon-Dakar rally.”
Only the father of the slain family survived the Christmas Eve attack in a town 150 miles from the Mauritanian capital as the family picnicked on the side of a road. Authorities blamed a terror group linked to the Algeria-based al-Qaida in North Africa.
Rally director Etienne Lavigne subsequently met with Mauritanian and French authorities to examine security. Organizers said he obtained guarantees of reinforced security measures along the route.
The race had been due to start in Lisbon, Portugal, on Saturday and finish in Dakar, Senegal, on Jan. 20.

[DOF_power]

Sad day.
The times we live in.

[Racer Duck]

This has to be the biggest story of the year in motorsports!!!

Imagine the economic impact. Not only to the media covering the event, but to the cities along the route as well as to the countries of Portugal, Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal.

[Phils20]

You are both dead on. I was blown away this morning when I read it, and just had so share it. I'm sure someone else would have put it up here.

This just sucks.

[Quality88]

Unbelievable.....

[Bob Tanner]

Let me pose a scenario:

What would the public outcry be IF, during Dayotna Speed Weeks, the Dept of Homeland security discovered a plot of some unknown terrorist activity during the Daytona 500 and the event was postponed or cancelled?

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Let me pose a scenario:

What would the public outcry be IF, during Dayotna Speed Weeks, the Dept of Homeland security discovered a plot of some unknown terrorist activity during the Daytona 500 and the event was postponed or cancelled?

Civil War ......

On a more serious note: It would be pretty bad. Postponement or Cancelling would cause alot of sh!t. It would be worse if cancellin. Lots of time and money goes into those weeks at Daytona not just the 500.

That makes me wonder.... Isn't Dakar dangerous anyways? I was readin an article the other day on nascar.com about Robby Gordon gettin ready for the Rally. They said there are snipers all along the route, and other dangers besides the race and the course itself. What's the deal. Obviously the drivers and teams don't care, they want to race. I think it's a bad call.

[Phils20]

Originally Posted by Quality88

Civil War ......

On a more serious note: It would be pretty bad. Postponement or Cancelling would cause alot of sh!t. It would be worse if cancellin. Lots of time and money goes into those weeks at Daytona not just the 500.

That makes me wonder.... Isn't Dakar dangerous anyways? I was readin an article the other day on nascar.com about Robby Gordon gettin ready for the Rally. They said there are snipers all along the route, and other dangers besides the race and the course itself. What's the deal. Obviously the drivers and teams don't care, they want to race. I think it's a bad call.

I agree with you, in part. I guess what they are concerned about is liability??

That was a cool article on NASCAR.com. I read it too!

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Quality88

Civil War ......

On a more serious note: It would be pretty bad. Postponement or Cancelling would cause alot of sh!t. It would be worse if cancellin. Lots of time and money goes into those weeks at Daytona not just the 500.

That makes me wonder.... Isn't Dakar dangerous anyways? I was readin an article the other day on nascar.com about Robby Gordon gettin ready for the Rally. They said there are snipers all along the route, and other dangers besides the race and the course itself. What's the deal. Obviously the drivers and teams don't care, they want to race. I think it's a bad call.

The run through Europe would be controllable, Dustin. It goes from Lisbon, crosses into Spain then goes across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco. I've spent a lot of time in that immediate area and here is what I can tell you:

After it leaves Tangier and goes toward Casablanca and Rabat they'd be OK. Morocco is a Muslim country but pretty advanced and progressive. From Casablanca to Marrakech it's rough but not dangerous. After Marrakech all the way to Senegal, through Western Sahara and Mauritainna it's Indian country, occupied by Bedouins and territorial warlords. Not a happy place. There is absolutely no possible way the Rallye participants could be protected.

[DOF_power]

The costs revealed.

Dakar rally cancellation to cost £26million

05 January 2008

Just hours before the start of the 2008 edition of the legendary Dakar Rally, organiser ASO officially announced that the event would be cancelled after certain stages of the event had been threatened by terrorists, particularly through the Mauritanian legs.
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"Our primary responsibility is to guarantee the safety of everyone including that of the
people in the countries visited," Dakar Rally director Etienne Lavigne said.

Rally participants who had prepared for months to take on the event were left stunned and disappointed that less than a day before the event, things were called off. The cancellation is set to leave organisers in excess of £26million out of pocket.

Inside sources at the Dakar Rally told GPUpdate.net that the real reason the event was called off is because no insurance company would agree to cover the event following the terror threats, not simply that the organisers decided to call it off on their own merit.
Formula One news: Dakar rally cancellation to cost £26million - GPUpdate.net Formula One