The original Paris-Dakar – 1978-2007
Okay, so this one is a little debatable. The Dakar Rally does still take place, albeit no longer on its namesake route, after terrorist threats forced the cancellation of the 2008 edition.
And while the varied terrain of South America – and now Saudi Arabia – has more than lived up to the challenge, there remains a tinge of sadness among Dakar purists that the rally no longer traverses the Sahara.
Rally raids rose to popularity during the late 1970s, with intrepid motorists venturing into the wilds in search of adventure and – if they were lucky – the finish line. Aboard vaguely modified road-going vehicles, they tackled tough terrain with varying levels of success…
The inaugural African rally, the Côte-Côte Rally (Cote d’Ivoire to Cote d’Azur), was held in December-January 1976 after being concocted by the founding father of rally raids, Jean-Claude Bertrand. The following year, it became the Abidjan-Nice Rally and it was during the gruelling adventure that 28-year-old motorcyclist Thierry Sabine strayed from the course. After several days lost in the Libyan desert and almost dying from exposure, the Frenchman came to the unlikely conclusion that the arid and unforgiving Sahara would be the perfect place to stage a rally raid.
And so, the following year, the first Paris-Dakar rally was held. Departing from the French capital on 26th December 1979, the route wound to the south, before entrants crossed to Algeria. Over the next two weeks, 182 competitors, comprising 80 cars, 90 motorcycles and 12 trucks made their way through Niger, Mali and Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), before finishing in Dakar, on the coast of Senegal, on 14th January.
Despite a success rate of just 40 per cent (74 finishers) – a quarter of competitors found themselves lost on stage three between Arlit and Agadez, while many others suffered mechanical breakdown and injury – the Dakar Rally was declared a huge success. It had delivered adventure, and the competitors, and spectators sat at home, were hooked. Soon, manufacturers recognised the appeal of the rally and got onboard, and by the mid-1980s, factory support was prevalent in the bivouac.
To many, those early editions represented the truest form of Dakar – an age when success was determined by not only riding/driving ability and navigational skills, but on mechanical nous too. With no support in the bivouac, the pilots worked tirelessly into the night, maintaining the vehicles at the expense of their bodies.
But with manufacturer support came international renown, and soon the Dakar was broadcast on the world stage. The vehicles developed from modified production models to prototypes, and the Dakar became more race than adventure.
With different classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles (Quads and UTVS were introduced post-Africa), the rally continued to attract huge numbers of entrants. The most successful Dakar pilot ever is the Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel, who took six motorcycle titles in the ‘90s, followed by seven car wins since 2004. Other famous names to compete in the ‘true Dakar’ include Ari Vatanen, René Metge, Jacky Ickx, Cyril Neveu and Richard Sainct.
The rally was marred by countless accidents, deaths, and disappearances – including that of Margaret Thatcher’s son Mark during the 1982 edition – but to many adventurers the risk formed much of its appeal.