The Dakar Rally will return to Argentina and Chile after testing the new route last month. The Chilean officials made the announcement on Tuesday.

A competitor riding his motrcycle during the 2009 Dakar Rally in Argentina. Chile and Argentina will once again co-host the 2010 Dakar Rally after the success of the most recent edition of the race, Chilean government spokesman Francisco Vidal announced on Tuesday.[Gabriel Bouys/CCTV/AFP]

Francisco Vidal, Chile Government Spokesperson, said, "The French organization that organized Dakar 2009 will inform the public of Chile and Argentina that their decision is to repeat Dakar in Chile in 2010. This decision will be announced in a press conference, that will take place in Buenos Aires on March 2 and Santiago on March 3. "

The news may mean Dakar will never return to Africa, which it left after security fears in Mauritania forced the cancellation of last year's event. Between January 3 and 18, the Dakar rally tore through 10 Argentine and Chilean provinces, with the start and finish in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.