Auriol plans trans-Saharan rally

Frenchman Auriol, the first person to win the Dakar Rally in both the motorcycle and car categories, said the new race would start in a southern European city and cross Morocco and Mauritania to finish in the Senegalese capital Dakar.

The first edition of the race, expected to last between 15 and 17 days, would take place in late 2008 or early 2009 and would have categories for motorbikes, quad vehicles, cars and lorries.

"This competition will without a doubt be a great sporting and human event which will offer international exposure to this fabulous continent of Africa," Auriol, a former director of the Dakar Rally, said in a statement.

The French organisers of the Dakar Rally cancelled the event for the first time in its 30-year history in January after receiving threats from "terrorist organisations". That followed the roadside killing of four French tourists in Mauritania in late December by gunmen who authorities suspected were linked to al Qaeda.

Organisers said the 2009 edition of the race would take place in Argentina and Chile. The Dakar Rally, one of the toughest tests in motorsport in which many competitors have died, had been strongly criticised for killing some inhabitants of rural African villages in high-speed motor accidents.

However, the decision to move the race prompted an outcry in Mauritania and Senegal, which earned millions of dollars from tourism thanks to the high-profile event.