A while ago (Jan. 5 'Dakar Rally cancelled: Politics in Sport') I brought you news that the 2008 Dakar Rally had been cancelled due to terrorist threats on the race and the murder of French tourists in the North African country of Mauritania, which was on the intended route.

Now, we have the first really long term result of the trouble this year. The 2009 Dakar Rally has been moved to a 9,000km circular course starting and ending in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, with the stages going through Argentina and Chile.

What I know of the geography and geology of South America can be written on the back of a postage stamp, but it will be interesting to see how this effects the race. The real "Dakar" was famous for it stages taking racers through massive sand dunes in the Sahara desert. The Sahara is not in Chile. This changes the race entirely. Cars that teams have spent years designing may now need to be binned in favour of something that suits the new course.

Other than having a problem with the name, this can only be a good move. There was a danger that the problems this year had seen off the event altogether, but instead a complete contingency plan has appeared in only a month.

Rumours were that the 2008 race has been/was being re-scheduled and re-routed, through Eastern Europe, with NASCAR Driver Robby Gordon saying he intended to compete, as the suggested date was a Sprint Cup off week. This event does not look to be a "Dakar" at all, but part of a new Dakar Series, run by the Amaury Sports Organisation, the same group as the proper Dakar. It was due to be started in 2009, but obviously the problems this year have brought it forward. The "Central Europe Rally" will run through Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria from the 20th-26th April

The Paris-Dakar is dead, long live the Buenos Aires-Buenos Aires (via Chile)