The
Dakar Rally (or simply "
The Dakar"; formerly known as the "
Paris–Dakar Rally") is an annual
rally raid organised by the
Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since the inception in 1978 were from
Paris,
France, to
Dakar,
Senegal, but due to security threats in
Mauritania, which led to the cancellation of the
2008 rally, races since 2009 have been held in
South America. The race is open to amateur and professional entries, amateurs typically making up about eighty percent of the participants.