Dakar Rally to present route to Bolivian government

Dakar Rally organisers Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) in September will present the official route of the 2014 race to the Bolivia's government, which will plan the event's security.

"In September we will hold technical meetings as the ones we have carried out in the last few months and they will present us the official route so we, the government, can plan the security actions," said Bolivia's tourism vice-minister Marko Machicao Sunday.

To define the security plan, ASO representatives will meet with the ministers of health and culture, the heads of the Bolivian police and the armed forces.

Machicao said the meeting will also help ASO to ratify the passing of the rally through Bolivian territory before the international campaign began by a group of US congressmen and actor Sean Penn to avoid the competition to be held in the Andean country as a means to demand justice for a US citizen judged in Bolivia.

"We are sure Dakar will pass through Bolivia and we are working to give the world the best impression," he said.

The Dakar Rally will pass through Bolivia Jan 12-13 when motorcycles and quads will travel the Uyuni salt plate in Potosi department (south) in two stages without mechanical assistance.

The rally will begin Jan 5 in Rosario, Argentina, and will end Jan 18 in Valparaiso, Chile. Only motorcycles and quads will pass through Bolivia while cars and trucks will travel from Argentina directly to Chile.