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Paul Mitson

A DRIVER from Frieth has had his dreams of taking part in the Dakar Rally dashed after the race was cancelled following an attack on a French family in Mauretania - thought to be linked to terrorist group al-Qaeda.

Paul Mitson, a 45-year-old property developer, was ready to go at the starting lines in Portugal when the race was cancelled on January 4.

The French Government contacted race organisers following the killing of four members of the family who were shot dead in Mauritania on Christmas Eve.

The decision was made as the race would have meant drivers going through Mauritania to its destination, Dakar in Senegal.

Mr Mitson said: "It was probably the biggest disappointment of my life. It just couldn't have come at a worse time.

"We'd built the car, sorted out the race licences and the passes to go through Mauritania.

"I spent a whole year doing training in terms of racing and physical training - running, cycling and kayaking."

The gruelling Dakar Rally, widely seen as one of the ultimate test of motorsport endurance, has been running since 1978, a year after French motorcycle racer Thierry Sabine got lost in the African desert and decided that it would be a good place for a rally.

This may change as the threat of terrorism rules out competition in the area.

However, organisers the Amaury Sport Organisation has recently announced that it plans to move the race to Argentina. If this goes ahead Mr Mitson will take part.

He said: "It will be more mountainous rather than desert. We'll be going through the Andes - though there will be deserts as well.

"The Dakar would have been about 6,000 miles long, though this will be upped to about 7,000.

"At the moment it's more of a European thing, but I think that probably it will become more of a world event."

Anyone wishing to view a blog of Mr Mitson's experiences and plans for the future should log on to http://paulmitson.vox.com/

10:00am Sunday 27th January 2008

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