Source: Supplied.

Rain and thunderstorms in Argentina, particularly in the area where the timed special of the first stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally was planned on Sunday, resulted in the cancellation of the first real day of competition for the epic 9000km off-road event.

About 90 minutes after the scheduled start, race director Etienne Lavigne confirmed that the weather conditions prevented helicopters from flying and this meant that the safety of competitors could not be guaranteed. The stage was to be 637km, including a 227km timed special, from Rosario to Villa Carlos Paz.

Assuming that the rally is able to continue on Monday, riders can expect another long day in the saddle. The journey from Villa Carlos Paz to Termas de Río Hondo is some 786km including a long timed special of 450km.

The terrain should present no particular difficulties according to the organisers, who say it should favor those who love riding in the hills at high speed, but there are some river crossing that may have been affected by the bad weather conditions.

Following Saturday’s prologue, a first for the Dakar Rally, team veteran Jordi Viladoms is just 13 seconds off the fastest time. Matthias Walkner of Austria and Australia’s Toby Price are just 17 and 18 seconds off the pace, while Antoine Meo and Laia Sanz will be doing their best to make up the minutes they lost.