Following the recent cancellation of the 2008 Dakar Rally due to terror threats, the Chilean Tourist Service has offered its desert as an alternative route.

Oscar Santelices, head of the service, has suggested that Chile could feasibly stage the rally. It would most likely be held in the Atacama Desert – the driest in the world and home to the annual Patagonia-Atacama Rally.

Speculation suggests that the organisers are currently considering other areas to stage the rally including Russia, China and Australia, though sources say that the competitors have already been refunded and there is no possibility of the rally recommencing.

For more details on the current situation of the Dakar Rally click here.