Richard Sainct of France is favored in the motorcycle race after winning that division in the two previous rallies. Today the weather conditions are not great, but to see so many spectators, it kind of warms your heart. In the car category, compatriot Jean-Louis Schlesser is also hoping to make it three straight wins. The drivers will travel through France and Spain before crossing the northwestern Sahara desert, taking in Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and Senegal. Organizers said they received security guarantees from Moroccan and Mauritanian authorities.
Rebels campaigning for independence for Western Sahara from Morocco oppose the race.
Organizers also said the separatist Polisario Front opposes drivers passing through the Western Sahara, where war broke out in 1976 after Morocco annexed the Atlantic coast territory. Last year's race, which left from Dakar and ended in Cairo, was interrupted after an alleged terrorist threat forced organizers to airlift the entire race from Niger to Libya. The first stage takes competitors from Paris to Narbonne in southwest France.