Dakar chiefs consider 2008 alternative

PRAGUE (AFP) — Dakar Rally organisers are considering a race through central Europe this spring to replace the event that was cancelled due to security concerns, the head of the Czech KM Racing Team told AFP on Monday.
"According to the information I received from my friends and Hungarian colleagues, ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation), are considering organising a competition in May to run through Hungary and Romania," said Pavel Kubicek.
"It would be a nice gesture to those who sacrificed a year of their lives in preparation for the 2008 Dakar," said the KM Racing chief, who added that Hungarian Balazs Szalay, the representative of ASO for central Europe had been pushing for several years for Budapest to host the start of the Dakar one day.
"In any case, it is impossible to compensate for the cancellation of the Dakar. It truly is a phenomenon, much more than just a rally."
KM Racing boasts three motorbike riders, David Pabiska, Dusan Randysek and Ivan Figura and Josef Machacek, four-time Dakar winner in the quad bike category.
The 2008 Dakar Rally had been due to start on Saturday in Lisbon, but the murder of four French tourists in Mauritania on December 24 led to the French government advising against any travel to the country and race organisers cancelling the 30th edition of the event.