ASO DAKAR NEWS – Bolivia: ready for take-off

The excursion into Bolivia for the bikers on the 2014 edition has plenty of thrills in store. Here is a preview of the terrains that will host the Dakar, in particular the majestic Salar de Uyuni salt flats. The initial reconnoitring of the Bolivian part of the 2014 route has been completed. Several months ahead of the rally’s competitors, the members of this small team have been amazed by the relief, light and colours of the country, especially the regions that the rally will visit. Two special stages will take place on Bolivian soil, reserved for the bikers after they leave the bivouac in Salta on 12th January. Immediately after leaving Argentina, they will come across a radical change in setting, passing from high and broad plateaux to the rocky canyons into which they will dive. Most significantly, they will discover the Salar de Uyuni, the biggest salt flats in the world, whose splendour once again won over Etienne Lavigne: “Sometimes, it’s very disconcerting visually. The lines run into each other, the distances are difficult to estimate and there are no landmarks: it’s almost as if you are driving through the sky!”