Organisers of the Dakar Rally have confirmed that Argentina and Chile will host the race for the third consecutive year in 2011.

The rally was switched to South America for the first time in 2008 for security reasons. The previous 29 editions of the race - from 1979 to 2007 - had been held in Africa.

Carlos Enrique Meyer, the Argentinian Secretary of State for Tourism, said: “It’s a great pride for our country to once again welcome the Dakar. We have worked a lot for it.”

Chile’s Sports Minister Gabriel Ruiz-Tagle welcomed the morale boost the news provided after a harrowing few weeks for the country. He said: “As you know, some weeks back, Chile suffered one of the biggest earthquakes in the history of mankind. It’s for that that I publicly thank ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation, the rally owners) for their help and understanding in talks.”

Rally director Etienne Lavigne did not rule out a return to the historic African route in the future, but added that the organisers would have to continue to explore other possibilities. He said: “It’s complicated to hold Dakar over several countries in the current context. We are always on the look-out for what could be done in term of new things. We have some ideas about South America but in other countries as well.”

The 2011 Dakar Rally will take place from 1st to 16th January, beginning and ending in Buenos Aires. Further details about the event are set to be released on 29th April.

Source: SportsPro Daily Deal