In 2009, due to a number of problems with ensuring the safety of participants and fans, the “Dakar” moved from Africa to South America. At that moment, it seemed, the race entered an era of prosperity in a calm, picturesque and very interesting for the automakers region. However, contrary to all expectations, everything turned out to be not so simple. On the old African route, at the same time, there was a competing raid “Africa Race”, which every year “attracts” experienced and strong teams, as well as famous riders.
By 2016, a number of economic and political problems arose in the Latin American region, in the expanses of which the “Dakar” arrived in 2006. The first country that refused to start a popular race two years ago was Chile, which, because of the earthquake, faced an economic crisis. For economic reasons, then referred to Peru, and in the calendar of “Dakar” there were only two countries – Bolivia and Argentina. In 2017, they still managed to connect Paraguay, but in the end, two stages due to bad weather had to be canceled. In this jubilee season, the “Dakar again” returned to Peru, and also traveled through Argentinean and Bolivian cities.
The second place is occupied by the representative of Belarus – Alexander Vyazovich (MAZ), the third place was occupied by Airat Mardeev, who also supports in the “KAMAZ-Master” team. Another member of the Russian team, Dmitry Sotnikov, took 10th place. It is worth noting that Nikolaev is a three-time winner of the “Dakar”. He previously won the marathon in 2013 and 2017.
On the 12th of February, in the Bolivian business capital, employees of the Russian Embassy in Bolivia and personally met with the crew of the “KAMAZ-Master” team and wished the participants victory. The captain of the team Eduard Nikolaev noted that the particularly warm welcome for the second year in a row is in La Paz.
As for the political dimension of the rally-raid “Dakar”, it is worth noting the ambiguous attitude to the legendary sports competition from the Latin American countries. Every year, the race is causing more and more resonance in the countries of the region, the number of opponents is also increasing: political slogans are increasingly sounding. Residents of countries, according to the picturesque expanses of which, like a “thread” is the powerful “Dakar”, condemn the government spending on such a large-scale sporting event. In the center of the “anti-Dakar” criticism are the environmental problems of the region. After in 2016, Chile flatly refused to hold the “Dakar”, in Argentina and Bolivia again started talking about the advisability of the race in the Latin American region.
Protesters threw foreign objects under the wheels of the accompanying rally-raid transport. To the passage of the main part of the police, they managed to disperse the protesters who shouted: “We want hospitals, not Dakar”.