Andrew Houlihan leaves Australia on New Year's Eve for Europe and then Africa to compete in the 2020 Africa Eco Race held over 14 days from January 4.

This year Houlihan placed 27^th overall in the Hispania Rally and ninth in the Rally Du Maroc Enduro Cup, but thought this next challenge could be his hardest yet.

"Whilst the Dakar Rally is the best known rally in the world, the Africa Eco Race is often referred to as the real race to Dakar as it retraces much of the old Paris-Dakar route and finishes at the original end point in Dakar, Senegal," he said.

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"And we travel through some of the toughest terrain in the world on the way."

The Africa Eco Race began in 2009 after fears of a terrorist attack in Mauritania caused the cancellation of the 2008 Dakar, with that event then moving to South America.

The idea was to create a new event for people craving the real Dakar spirit.

Houlihan races with the Swiss-based Nomadas team and will compete for the first time on his Coca Cola Energy KTM 450 Factory Rallye bike.

After the official start in Monaco on January 4, competitors travel to Tangier to begin the first of 12 stages three days later.

The finish and presentations take place at Lac Rose in Senegal on January 19.