La Rioja, Argentina  - A total of 219 participants have retired from the 2009 Dakar Rally and 1,225 kilometres of racing had to be scrapped, organizers said Friday.

The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) - in charge of the rally which takes place in Argentina and Chile - on Friday called off 324 kilometres of the stage that was originally set to take participants from La Rioja to Cordoba, in Argentina.

Due to heavy rain that made many paths unfit for traffic, the day's racing was reduced to 220km. Two days earlier, the entire 11th stage had to be cancelled due to adverse weather.

Of close to 500 vehicles that left Buenos Aires on January 3, only 208 remained in the race, ASO said. These include 132 motorbikes and quads, 93 cars and 55 trucks.

Carlos Sainz (co-pilot injured) and Nasser Al-Attiyah (disqualified) went out while leading the race which ends on Sunday in Buenos Aires.

The South American edition of the traditionally-African rally was originally set to be one of the longest Dakars. However, it faced problems with itineraries from the start.

Still, ASO - who own the competition - have hinted that the rally may return to South America in 2010, a move that would be very welcome by Argentina and Chile. (dpa)