Hungary plays host to Central Europe Rally

Rally car and motor bike enthusiasts that are disappointed by the cancellation of the annual Dakar Rally will be pleased to note that the first ever Central Europe Rally is taking place in Hungary in April as part of the new ‘Dakar Series’ of events.

This one off rally takes place from 20th to 26th April from Budapest to Lake Balaton, covering 3,000 kilometres and crossing over in parts to Romania. This event is leading the way for the new 2009 Dakar Series that has been planned for some time by Dakar organisers, Amaury Sport Organisation in order to expand events outside of the well known annual rally.

Due to the 2008 Dakar Rally being cancelled because of terrorist threats it was decided to bring the series forward by a year by holding this rally in Central Europe. The new 2009 Dakar Series will link rally events with the same high standards and sporting values worldwide with the future annual Dakar Rally, through a common ranking system that will designate the best drivers and teams of the season.

Approximately 250 competitors both amateur and professional will take part in the event in Hungary, including 100 cars, 100 motorbikes and 20 trucks. The rally is in 7 stages with four in Hungary, including the beginning and end and three in Romania over the 21, 22 and 23 April.

The famous Dakar Rally started in 1978, a year after the late racer, Thierry Sabine, got lost in the desert and decided that it would be a good location for a regular rally. The original route was Paris to Dakar, Senegal but this has changed over the years to include a variety of different routes.

Last year it was Lisbon to Dakar and next year it is planned to be in Argentina and Chile 3 to 18 January 2009, the first time the rally has been in South America. The off road event is more of an endurance test than a rally and is open to both amateurs and professionals.

Getting there

There are nine departures airports to Budapest from the UK – including BA from Heathrow, Malev from Gatwick, Wizzair from Luton, Easyjet from Gatwick and Luton, Ryanair from East Midlands, Liverpool, Bristol and Glasgow and Jet2 from Manchester.

Ryanair fly to Lake Balaton, Saturday to Saturday.

To find out more about Hungary log onto Gotohungary.co.uk.