When he was lost in the desert during the Abidjan-Nice rally in 1977, Thierry Sabine discovered his passion for the enormous expanses of sand. He decided to share the adventure starting the next year by launching the first Paris-Dakar rally, a mixture of the spirit of competition and the spirit of an expedition.
“ We live in a sad world, we need to get away from it all, to discover new things, to meet new people”, Patrick Tambay explained. The point was to discover the African continent, using routes that are often unexplored, and to discover as well magical landscapes that very quickly become mythic, like the Nega Pass and the Mountain of Elephants erg. Finally it was about learning about different people, where encounters lead to mutual enjoyment. “The image of man and camel and the image of man and machine crossing the desert at 200 km/hr do not clash; rather they pass by each other, taking the time for a good look”, explained Sabine.
From Paris to Dakar, passing through Algiers, Gao and Bamako, the Dakar is a celebration. “A challenge for those who start it. A dream for those who stay behind”, its creator always said. And, through its different incarnations, more and more people are starting, dashing forward in this school for adventure. As in life itself, many competitors are led to find and to exceed their limits. For those who remain, the legend is on the move, fed by the adventures of the competitors.
Sports exploits, peoples stories, hard labours: the events of the caravan fascinate everyone. Every dune can disguise a trap where the racers, from the ordinary chap to the factory driver, can lose their way, or even their life. The little blokes suffer, the great ones do too: and here is what commands the respect of the public. Without hard labour there is no enjoyment for these modern-day adventurers. No friends either, because mutual support is the essence of the Dakar, a formidable human adventure where the participants are companions in misfortune more than rivals. This is the spirit of the Dakar, from its creation to the current rally that will take off from Barcelona on 1 January 2005.
1979-1982: the pioneers of the Desert.
Barely a year after the idea germinated in Thierry Sabines mind, the Paris Dakar began. On 26 December 1978, Place du Trocadro in Paris, 170 competitors departed on this new adventure, presented then as a crazy bet destined for failure. Ten thousand kilometres later, when they arrived in Dakar, the legend of the most magical Rally Raid was born.
From Algeria to Senegal, passing through Mali, these pioneers of adventure were enthralled by this world of contrasts. Myth was on the move. Since then the fame of this test hasnt stopped growing, and it attracts more and more avid lovers of the wide-open spaces. At the handlebars or the wheel of a machine close to mass production, they come to the Dakar looking for a sporting feat, motivated by the desire to find their physical and psychological limits faced with this immense challenge. Limits that all have to be exceeded: you dont see the beach of Dakar without having surpassed yourself.
The routes are unknown, the traps numerous. Its impossible to pass through.
But Thierry Sabine kept watch. He gives the impression of being God, watching over his sheep from on high in his helicopter, going to look from an airplane for those that are lost, Nicole Maitrot, a participant in the Dakar 1982, said. The image of the Messiah, dressed all in white, lavishing his advice and his recommendations before each stagedeparted, went round the world and marked the spirit of the Dakar.
The major personalities of the Dakar fascinate the general public: the Marreau brothers, genius mechanics and competitors without peer who won in 1982, Mathilde de Cortanze, the belle of the desert, Cyril Neveu and Hubert Auriol, crazy young victors in the first rallies. In 1982, the test obtained sporting legitimacy by receiving the FISA label. Since then the most prestigious marques have been embarking on the adventure of the Dakar, a formidable marketing showcase.
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The 1980's