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1979 Paris–Dakar Rally

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1979 Dakar Rally
Next event →
The route
Host country France
 Algeria
 Niger
 Mali
 Senegal
Results
Cars winnerFrance Alain Génestier
Range Rover
Bikes winnerFrance Cyril Neveu
Yamaha XT500
Trucks winnerFrance Jean-François Dunac
Pinzgauer

1979 Dakar Rally, also known as the 1979 Paris–Alger–Dakar Rally was the first running of the Dakar Rally event. The rally began on 26 December 1978 from Paris, France and finished on 14 January 1979 in Dakar, Senegal, interrupted by a transfer across the Mediterranean. Cyril Neveu won the motorcycle category on a Yamaha, while the car category was won by Alain Génestier in a Range Rover.[1]

Summary

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A total of 182 competitors (80 cars, 90 motorcycles and 12 trucks [1]) contested the inaugural Paris-Dakar Rally, departing the Place du Trocadéro on Boxing Day 1978 to embark upon a 10,000 kilometre journey to the Senegalese capital of Dakar via Algeria, Niger, Mali and Upper Volta. All the vehicles that took part were classified together, although they would compete separately in subsequent editions of the race.

Cyril Neveu won the rally aboard a Yamaha despite not winning any individual stages, taking the lead on the sixth stage after Patrick Schaal (Yamaha) fell and fractured his little finger.[1] Jean-Claude Morellet, competing under the alias of "Fenouil", had been running second until he was forced to retire as his BMW suffered engine failure with less than 200 km of the rally left to run. That promoted Gilles Comte (Yamaha) to second and Philippe Vassard (Honda), the only competitor to complete the Bamako-Nioro stage in the originally allotted time before it was extended, to third.[1]

Alain Génestier's Range Rover was the best of the cars in fourth, ahead of the Renault 4 of the Marreau brothers. Neveu's brother Christophe had led early on in the rally after winning two of the first three stages in his Range Rover, but got lost on the stage between Arlit and Agadez along with around a quarter of the remaining competitors.[2]

Entry list

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Source[3]

Number of entries

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Stage Bikes Cars Trucks Total
Start of Rally 90 80 12 182
End of Rally 34 37 3 74

Vehicles and Categories

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Competitor list

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Entry list — Bikes
No. Driver Bike
1 France Corinne Koppenhague Suzuki SP 370
2 France Gilles Comte Yamaha XT 500
3 France Christian Rayer Yamaha XT 500
4 France Rudy Potisek Yamaha XT 500
5 France Jean-Claude Olivier Yamaha XT 500
6 France Jean-Claude Morellet aka 'Fenouil' BMW 800 GS
7 France Dominique Martin Yamaha XT 500
8 France Patrick Schaal Yamaha XT 500
9 France Dominique Sauvetre Yamaha XT 500
10 France Thierry Pascault Yamaha XT 500
11 France Yves Bon Yamaha XT 500
12 France Cyril Neveu Yamaha XT 500
13 France Patrick Beaufront Yamaha XT 500
14 France Yannick Le Guyader Yamaha XT 500
15 France Christian Desnoyer Honda XL 250S
16 France Jean-pierre Dos Reis Honda XL 250S
17 France Patrice Taravella Honda XL 250S
18 France Pierre Mengue Yamaha XT 500
19 France Grégoire Verhaeghe Honda XL 125S
20 France Patrick Harmand Honda XL 250S
21 France Bernard Neimer Honda XL 250S
22 France Bruno Dusi Honda XL 250S
23 France Philippe Vassard Honda XL 250S
24 France Jean-louis Despagne Yamaha XT 500
25 France Bernard Mora Yamaha XT 500
26 France Henri Gabrelle Honda XL 250S
27 France Gilles Desheulles Honda XL 250S
28 France Max Commençal Yamaha XT 500
29 France Marie Ertaud Yamaha XT 500
30 France Michel Montange Honda XL 250S
31 Switzerland Willi Steiner Yamaha XT 500
32 France Bruno Vecchioni Honda XL 250S
33 France Alain Quie Honda XL 125S
34 France Bernard Atanne Honda XL 250S
35 France Olivier Kirkpatrick Yamaha XT 500
36 France Bruno Dubois-Trabuc Yamaha XT 500
39 France Christian Paul Honda XL 250S
40 France Jean Vaneste Yamaha XT 500
41 France Martine de Cortanze Honda XL 250S
42 France Pascale Geurie Honda XL 250S
43 France Christine Martin Honda XL 250S
44 France Marie-Dominique Cousin Yamaha XT 500
45 France Pierre David MZ 250
46 France Jean-Noël Castanet Honda XL 250S
47 France Daniel Piton Kawasaki KL 250
48 France Jacques Micallef Yamaha XT 500
49 France Luc Offenstein Yamaha XT 500
50 France Michel Poncet Honda XL 250S
51 France Pierre Banino Yamaha XT 500
52 France Alain Schaecht Honda XL 250S
53 France Pierre Schricke Suzuki TS125
54 France Bernard Gautier Honda XL 250S
55 France Alain Martin Honda XL 250S
56 France Eric Malot Yamaha XT 500
57 France Thierry Roghe Honda XL 250S
58 France Eric Popineau Honda XL 250S
59 France Michel Razet Honda XL 250S
60 France Jean-Pierre Tonnelline Honda XL 250S
61 France Paul-Eric Allard Suzuki TS125
62 France Alain Vial Suzuki SP 370
64 France Laurent Gomis Suzuki SP 370
65 France Hubert Auriol Yamaha XT 500
66 France Philippe Jambert BMW R65
67 France Jean-François Chanéac Honda XL 250S
68 France Didier Boucher Yamaha XT 500
69 France Alain Gaeremynck Suzuki SP 370
70 Belgium Alain Padou Honda XL 250S
71 France Yannik Lenglet Honda XL 250S
72 France Guy Leconte Yamaha XT 500
73 France Jacques Maitrot Honda XL 250S
74 France Guy Albaret Yamaha XT 500
75 France Patrick Meziani Yamaha XT 500
76 France Pierre Berty Yamaha XT 500
77 France Jean-pierre Pachoud Yamaha XT 500
78 France Patrice Dodin Yamaha XT 500
79 France Patrick Debuire Yamaha XT 500
81 France Serge Dumolin Yamaha XT 500
82 France Lionel Rousseau Yamaha XT 500
83 France Bernard Rigoni Guzzi TT 500
84 France Alain Piatek Guzzi TT 500
85 France Alain Legrand Guzzi TT 500
86 France Eric Breton Guzzi TT 500
88 France Martine Renier Guzzi TT 500
94 France Alain Bard Yamaha XT 500
Entry list — Cars/Trucks
No. Driver Co-driver Co-driver 2/Technician Vehicle
100 Monaco Hubert Rigal France Dominique Rochette - Range Rover V8
101 France Maurice Calamel France Michel Calamel - Land Rover
102 France Bernard Hervier France Christian Caillon - Range Rover V8
103 France Daniel Nollan France Philippe Hayat France Jean-Pierre Domblides Renault KZ
104 France Jean-François Piot France Pierre Raux France Jean-Pierre Boulme Toyota BJ
105 France Bernard Maingret France Christian Maingret - Mercedes-Benz Unimog
106 France Max Hugueny France Bernard Trévidic - Toyota Diesel
107 France Christian Duboscq France Pierre-Emmanuel Froissart - Lada Niva
108 France Gérard Mair France Georges Vanelslande - Ford Transit
109 France Stéphan Bosteels France Stéphane Bosteels - Citroën GS
110 France François Forestier France Philippe Meneau - Toyota BJ
111 France Pierre Dagoury France Bertrand Tournier - Lada Niva
112 France Claude Neveu France Gary Carrera France Gilles Maurice Toyota BJ
113 France Jean-Michel Bordais France Marcel Quie - Range Rover V8
114 France Philippe Leroux France Gilbert Pozzo di Borgo - Toyota BJ
115 France Jean-Louis Figureau France Jean-Paul Ydraut - Peugeot 504
116 France André Piguet France Philippe D'Agostino France François Jacquin Citroën DS
117 France Bernard Lemonnier France Jacqueline Lemonnier - Toyota Diesel
118 France Pierre Chamagne France Raymond Thérage - Peugeot 504
119 France Philippe Tiercin France Michel Gadeaud - Citroën CX
120 France Christophe Neveu France Gilles Gaignault - Range Rover V8
121 France Michel Delannoy France Frédéric Harrewyn - Toyota Diesel
122 Switzerland Enrico Paci Unknown - Jeep Wagoneer
123 Belgium Edi-Paul Heinis Belgium Pierre Heinis - Volkswagen 1300
124 France François Jacquet Unknown - Land Rover
125 France Guy Chambily France Michel Desaunay - Toyota BJ
126 France Claude Renault France Jacques Cholet - Lada Niva
127 France Pierre Bouille France Gilles Morel - Renault 5
128 France Chantal Comte France Christiane van Ryswyck - Volkswagen 181
129 France Yves Sunhill France Jean-Paul Sevin - Buggy Sunhill
130 France Pierre-Louis Moreau France Jean-Yves Touya - Peugeot 504
131 France Claude Marreau France Bernard Marreau - Renault 4 Sinpar
132 France Pierre Minonzio France Jean-Louis Ledentu - Lada Niva
133 France Henri Mouren France Henri Braquet - Toyota BJ
134 France Alain Vandekerkhove France Daniel Pichot France Gérard Dutertry Toyota BJ
135 France Dominique Fougerouse Belgium Christine Beckers France Marguerite Ondarts Toyota BJ
136 France Pierre Fougerouse France Anne-Marie de Belabre - Toyota BJ
137 France Patrick Barbier France Jean-Louis Dieude France Michel Hardy Range Rover V8
138 France Gérard Sarrazin France Lucette Sarrazin - Range Rover V8
139 France Philippe Catel France Anne Catel - Range Rover V8
140 Italy Agostino Tocci Italy Carlo Fucci - Fiat Campagnola
141 Italy Tommaso Carletti Italy Amarilli Carletti - Fiat Campagnola
142 Italy Franco Arbizzi Italy Giovanni Crappolo - Fiat Campagnola
143 Italy Cesare Giraudo Italy Antonio Cavalleri Italy Mario Cavalleri Fiat Campagnola
144 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown
145 Unknown Unknown Unknown Fiat Campagnola
146 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown
147 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown
148 France Françoise Rayer France Chantal Gauche - Lada Niva
149 France Jacky Leguy France Michel Beaujean - Mercedes-Benz Unimog
150 France Jean-Jacques Ratet France Robert Ignazi - Toyota BJ
151 France Jean-Claude Leclerc France Christian Crye - Toyota BJ
152 Belgium Franz Deladriere Belgium Pierre Deghaye Belgium Françoise Deghaye Mercedes-Benz Unimog
153 Belgium Guy Deladriere France Franz Deladriere - Buggy Strakit
155 France Marcel Hugueny France Patrick Chapuis - Toyota BJ
156 France Jacky Privé France Reynald Privé - Range Rover V8
157 France Dominique Fondrillon France Marcel Schaecht - Toyota BJ
158 France Frédéric Gayet France Annie Benard - Buggy
159 France Michel Etchepar France Gérard Loupias - Mercedes-Benz Unimog
160 France Francis Humblot France Jean-Claude Lombard - Toyota BJ
161 France Laurent Bacholle France Canut - Toyota BJ
162 France Alain Génestier France Joseph Terbiaut France Jean Lemordant Range Rover V8
163 France Jean-François Sausset France Pierre Le Monnier - Renault 4
164 France Olivier Turcat France Dominique de Araujo - Cournil
165 France Marc André France Philippe Puyfoulhoux - Peugeot 404 Plateu
166 France Jean Dominique Clément France Anne Clément - Land Rover
167 France Christian Sandron France Philippe Alberto - Citroën Dyane
168 France René Metge France Claude Barbier - Range Rover V8
169 France Georges Houel France Christian Pouchelon - Renault 30
170 France Gil Guillot France Patrice Pradeau - Cournil
171 France Philippe Chapel France Sannier France Yves Belleville Range Rover V8
172 France Jean-Pierre Kurrer France Jean-Claude Henriet - Cournil
173 France Gérard Dorangeon France Bernard Preschey - Renault 5
174 France Michel Puren France Pierre Dumas - Range Rover V8
175 France René Banino France Henri Legourriérec - Toyota BJ
176 France Claude Sezalory France Diven Casarini France De Frémont Toyota BJ
177 France Eric Vuillemin France Daniel Adrian - Peugeot 404 Plateu
178 France Dominique Bertrand France Thierry De Saulieu France Claude Prévost Fiat Campagnola
179 France Christian De Cortanze France Pierre Rigal - Fiat Campagnola
180 France Jean-François Dunac France François Beau France Jean-Pierre Chapel Pinzgauer 6X6
181 France Michel Pignot France Jean-Claude Marie - Saviem SM8
182 France Max Meynier France Francis Zegut France Christian Boudas Toyota FJ40
183 France Philippe Hrouda France Marie-Josée Perez France Nicole Chastenet Peugeot 504 Break
184 France Jacky Haas France Elisabeth Trebuchet France Henri Poulain Renault 12 Break
185 France Gérard Bouvier France Gérard Ceolin France Odile Rosanval Peugeot 504 Break
186 France Guy Dreumont France Serge Rafal - Peugeot 504 Break
187 France Alain Mekki France Jean Neault - Unic
188 France Joseph De Quecker France Jean-Pierre Dufour France François-Xavier Beaudet Toyota BJ
189 France Christian Rodier France Bourdex France Fabre Mercedes-Benz Unimog
190 France Bernard Guengant France Christian van Ryswyck France Gabriel Sivaly Range Rover V8
191 France Michel van Gorp France Dominique Pipat - Toyota BJ
192 France Daniel Petit France Françis Mare - Unic
193 France Christian Lacombe France Catherine de Mesmaeker France Georges Renou Toyota BJ
194 France Benoît Chavane France Alain Corroler - Talbot Rancho
195 France William Mazoyer Unknown - Saviem TP3
196 France Pierre Devaux France Jean-Louis Malvoisin France Roland Digaldi Unic
199 Unknown Meppiel Jardin Mercedes-Benz
200 France Thierry Sabine France Daniel Lentaigne - Toyota BJ

Stages

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Stage Date From To Dist. Winner (cars) Winner (bikes)
1 26 December 1978 France Paris France Montlhéry 3.6 France C. Neveu France C. Desnoyers
27 December 1978 France Montlhéry France Marseille Liaison only
28–30 December 1978 Transportation to Africa
2 31 December 1978 Algeria Algiers Algeria Reggane Liaison only
1 January 1979 Algeria Reggane Algeria In Salah 270 France J. Privé France C. Rayer
2 January 1979 Algeria In Salah Algeria Tamanrasset Liaison only
3 3 January 1979 Algeria Tamanrasset Algeria In Guezzam 373 France C. Neveu France R. Potisek
4 January 1979 Niger Assamaka Niger Arlit 230 France G. Daurangeon France P. Schaal
5 January 1979 Niger Arlit Niger Agadez 231 France P-L. Moreau France J-C. Olivier
4 6 January 1979 Niger Agadez Niger Niamey 230 France C. Marreau France J-C. Olivier
5 7 January 1979 Niger Niamey Mali Gao 448 Stage cancelled
8 January 1979 Mali Gao Rest day
6 9 January 1979 Mali Gao Mali Mopti 600 France A. Génestier France G. Comte
10 January 1979 Mali Mopti Mali Bamako Liaison only
7 11 January 1979 Mali Bamako Mali Nioro du Sahel 417 Italy C. Giraudo France P. Vassard
8 12 January 1979 Mali Nioro du Sahel Mali Kayes 270 None declared France C. Rayer
13 January 1979 Mali Kayes Senegal Bakel Liaison only
14 January 1979 Senegal Bakel Senegal Dakar 96 Monaco H. Rigal France G. Comte
  • The above distances (in kilometres) refer only to the competitive timed part of the stage, which make up 3,168 km.

Results

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Source[4]

Final standings (positions 1–10)
Pos. No. Competitor(s) Vehicle Class
1 12 France Cyril Neveu Yamaha XT 500 Moto
2 2 France Gilles Comte Yamaha XT 500 Moto
3 23 France Philippe Vassard Honda XL 250S Moto
4 162 France Alain Génestier
France Joseph Terbiaut
France Jean Lemordant
Range Rover V8 Auto
5 131 France Claude Marreau
France Bernard Marreau
Renault 4 Sinpar Auto
6 52 France Alain Schaecht Honda XL 250S Moto
7 143 Italy Cesare Giraudo
Italy Antonio Cavalleri
Italy Mario Cavalleri
Fiat Campagnola Auto
8 3 France Christian Rayer Yamaha XT 500 Moto
9 141 Italy Tommaso Carletti
Italy Amarilli Carletti
Fiat Campagnola Auto
10 134 France Alain Vandekerkhove
FranceGérard Dutertry
France Daniel Pichot
Toyota BJ Auto

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "History of Dakar - RETROSPECTIVE 1979-2007" (PDF). Dakar. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
  2. ^ "Christophe Neveu". dakardantan.com. Retrieved 2015-01-01.
  3. ^ "Dakar Historic Book 2024".
  4. ^ "Paris-Dakar 1979 - Classification". dakardantan.com.