Dakar Rally by helicopters has been suspended

The first stage of Dakar rally, which began this Sunday (01/03/2016) between the Argentine cities of Rosario and Villa Carlos Paz, was suspended by the sports authorities due to the heavy rains that hit the region, reported the organizers, who cited “security reasons” for justify the decision. One of the main reasons for the cancellation of the Dakar rally due to helicopters. Forecasts indicated that conditions will improve in the afternoon.

According to the director of the Dakar, Etienne Lavigne, “Due to the bad weather conditions on the route of the special and in the final section of the stage, it was impossible for the helicopters to take off to guarantee the safety of the pilots throughout the route”. His own helicopter had to land in a field 60 kilometers from the start, because it could not fly normally as a result of the storm.

All the vehicles continued on a connecting trip to Villa Carlos Paz, in the central province of Córdoba, due to those bad weather conditions that forced the suspension of the timed specials in all categories. All the vehicles that had left Buenos Aires on Saturday, January 2, were ready for the first day of competition, except for the Chinese driver Guo Meiling (MINI), who was involved in an accident in the prologue that caused injuries to at least ten spectators in the Buenos Aires town of Arrecifes.

The decision was made after delaying the start of the stage on two occasions, because “some areas of the special would be cut off by boulevards and water courses in formation,” as noted on its official website. After the order to suspend the timed special, the 136 motorcycles, 45 quads, 110 cars and 55 trucks headed out of competition to Villa Carlos Paz, in the central Argentine province of Córdoba.

The Dakar will depart on Monday towards Termas de Río Hondo (Santiago del Estero) and will then arrive in Jujuy, Uyuni (Bolivia), Salta (where it will have its rest day on January 10), Belén (Catamarca), La Rioja, San Juan, Carlos Paz and will conclude on January 16 in Rosario.