Dakar Dreams

So many great stories of adventure are the result of somebody making a wrong turn and getting lost. One such story, born from just such a calamity—in rather dramatic fashion—subsequently led to a global phenomenon.

Lost

In 1977, French rally driver Thierry (pronounced “tee-air-ee”) Sabine (1949–1986) got lost in the Libyan desert during the Abidjan-Nice race. Stranded far off-course on the Tchigai Plateau near the isolated mountain of Emi Fezzan, Sabine was enthralled by the dramatic, natural beauty of the remote, inhospitable landscape, realizing few people have the opportunity to see such awe-inspiring grandeur. It was from this experience Thierry envisioned an extreme off-road rally that would traverse the most dynamic landscapes on Earth, presenting competitors with the ultimate test of man and machine, braving harsh, unrelenting elements, and broadcast their adventures to the world so that viewers everywhere could enjoy the experience vicariously.

Thierry threw himself into the endeavor with abandon, establishing the Paris-Dakar Rally, romantically defining the event with the motto; “A challenge for those who go. A dream for those who stay behind.”

The day after Christmas, 1978, Sabine’s dream came to fruition. The inaugural Paris-Dakar Rally made an audacious splash with competitors departing from beneath the arches of the Eiffel Tower, finishing twenty days and 10,000 kilometers later on January 14th, 1979, in Dakar, Senegal. 

Over the ensuing years the Paris-Dakar Rally grew in scope and prestige, ascending to mantle of toughest off-road rally. Drawing from his own rally experience, Sabine personally oversaw the annual running of the event, fine-tuning and expanding routes, growing its significance in the annals of rally competition, each year finding evermore dynamic landscapes. Sabine’s untiring enthusiasm for his beloved rally earned him status as a visionary, the rally enjoying international popularity among competitors and TV viewers alike. From that serendipitous moment atop the Tchigai Plateau in 1977, over the next nine years, Sabine was the driving force, face and passion of the rally. He was able to see his dream come to life and grow to become the most famous rally on Earth.