The Dakar 2011 will mark the third time in three years that the event will run in South America, and race organizers have already put together an official promotional video for the event. The 2011 race will through the countries of Spain and Chile. The race was traditionally known as The Paris-Dakar Rally, as the event took racers from Paris, France on to Dakar, Senegal. Unfortunately, the event was canceled in 2008 due to terrorist threats and concerns in France, which forced the promoters to find a new home for the race (and hence the change in name to simply “The Dakar”). In 2009, when the race moved to South America, it was the first time the race was not held in Europe and Africa.

Last year’s race covered 9,000 kilometers of off-road terrain, and close to 200 competitors tackled the course in trucks, cars, ATVs and motorcycles. American off-road race fans will know of the race because Robby Gordon has raced it a number of times, and he was actually the first American to win a stage at the event. The Dakar, in some form, has run for nearly 30 years and is considered one of the most grueling off-road races in the world. Check out the video below to see what it’s all about.

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