Thierry Sabine
Thierry Sabine | |
---|---|
Born | Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France | 13 June 1949
Died | 14 January 1986 Mali | (aged 36)
Nationality | French |
Thierry Sabine (13 June 1949, Neuilly-sur-Seine – 14 January 1986, Mali) was a French wrangler, motorcycle racer and founder and main organizer of the Dakar Rally.
Career
[edit]In 1977 Sabine got lost on the Tchigai Plateau, near the isolated mountain of Emi Fezzan during the Abidjan-Nice Race, and realized that the desert would be a good location for a rally where amateurs could test their ability. In December 1977 he established a race from Paris to Dakar and devoted the rest of his life to its organization. His motto for the Dakar Rally was, "A challenge for those who go. A dream for those who stay behind."[1]
Sabine was noted for the care he took over the competitors, which was exemplified during the 1983 running of the event. That year, the route crossed the as-yet-unexplored Ténéré region of the Sahara and 40 competitors became lost when a sandstorm struck. He spent four days flying over the region and was able to direct all lost competitors toward the correct route. Nicole Maitrot, a competitor the previous year, said of him:
"One has the impression that Thierry Sabine is God looking over his sheep from up in his helicopter, coming down in a swirl of airplane to help those who are lost."[1]
Sabine was killed when his Ecureuil helicopter crashed into a dune at Mali during a sudden sandstorm at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday 14 January 1986. Also killed onboard was the singer-songwriter Daniel Balavoine, helicopter pilot François-Xavier Bagnoud, journalist Nathalie Odent and Jean-Paul Lefur who was a radiophonic engineer for RTL.[2] Sabine's ashes were later scattered at the Lost Tree in Niger, which the rally thereafter described as the "Arbre Thierry Sabine".[3]
He was featured in the movie A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later released in 1986.
Racing record
[edit]Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
[edit]Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1975 | P. Dagoreau (private entrant) |
Philippe Dagoreau Jean-Pierre Aeschlimann |
Porsche 911 Carrera RS | GT | 285 | 17th | 3rd |
1976 | ASA Cachia | Philippe Dagoreau Jean-Claude Andruet |
Porsche 911 Carrera RSR | Gr.5 SP |
288 | 13th | 6th |
1977 | L. Meznarie (private entrant) |
Jean Bélin | Porsche 911 Carrera RSR | Gr.5 SP |
– | DNQ |
Complete Tour de France Automobile results
[edit]Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Pos. | Class Pos. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1971 | Ford-France | Frédéric Bonnard | Ford Capri 2600 | T3.0 | DNF | ||
1972 | T. Sabine (private entrant) |
"Bedin" | Porsche 911 S | Gr.3 +2.0 |
DNF | ||
1973 | Jean Delannoy | Porsche 911 Carrera RS | Gr.3 | 4th | 2nd |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "DAKAR RETROSPECTIVE 1979-2007" (PDF). dakar.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
- ^ Motorsport Memorial
- ^ Lawrence Hacking and Wil Clercq, To Dakar and Back: 21 Days Across North Africa by Motorcycle, p.7
- 1949 births
- 1986 deaths
- Sportspeople from Neuilly-sur-Seine
- French rally drivers
- French motorsport people
- Off-road racing drivers
- Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents
- Dakar Rally drivers
- Dakar Rally
- Auto racing executives
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Mali
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1986
- Sport deaths in Mali
- 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
- Off-road motorcycle racers
- European rallying biography stubs
- French auto racing biography stubs