Buenos Aires departure for 2016 Dakar Rally

Paris: The Argentine capital Buenos Aires will host the start of the 2016 Dakar Rally following Peru`s decision to withdraw from the event last month, race organisers announced Thursday.

The Dakar Rally, which is one of the biggest motorsport events on the calendar, featuring both bikes and cars, will start on January 3 and comprise of 13 stages as planned, race organisers ASO confirmed.

However, the change in route will see competitors faced with fewer dunes and more technical tracks on the opening three days before the race crosses over into Bolivia.

The course will then return to Argentina with the finish to be held in Rosario on January 16 as originally planned.

The rally had been due to begin in Lima but Peru pulled out of staging the event last month because of the effects of El Nino, a tropical weather phenomenon occurring in the Pacific Ocean, contributing to global changes in temperature and rainfall.