Carpooling R. Metge: “The Dakar is the light of rally-raids”

René Metge is the star of the last Carpooling of the year 2020, published in issue 2292 of AUTOhebdo and available on newsstands and in digital version. We went to meet him in the Paris suburbs to look back on his rich journey to the Paris-Dakar, firstly with Range Rover. Excerpts.

Do you think back to this victory in January 1981 in Dakar?

Not so much, although I have fond memories. At the time, we were driving conventional cars. All the vehicles were very close to the series, including my Range Rover. That winter, I raced with Bernard Giroux, who had never sailed before. It was his very first rally ! He learned the trade on the job. To reassure him, I explained to him the method to follow. “If you can give me directions without me asking you, then you’ve won. » And indeed, he was perfect, all the time. 

Why did you drive Range Rovers during the first years of the Paris-Dakar?

As I was a Leyland dealer in Malakoff (Hauts-de-Seine), I had a whole bunch of 4x4s available. In fact, I was selling 140 a year, I was the largest Range Rover dealer in the world. I modified my own Ranges. Then Tom Walkinshaw made one for me. It was not a great success because the engines broke down one after the other. They were more efficient than my V8s, but not reliable enough. The English were not very happy that a Frenchman was smarter!

It was also the time when the ordeal made the headlines; were you a star when you returned to France?

Bernard Giroux was a sports journalist for TF1, he echoed his experience. This helped! When I went to a restaurant, people asked me for autographs. On the other hand, my current neighbors have no idea of ​​my past. It's a bit of a shame because I like telling stories.

René Metge and the Dakar, it’s also adventure Porsche, thanks to his friend Jacky Ickx, punctuated by two successes, in 1984 with the 911 then two years later with the 959. 

It was not that far from the 911. The 911 atmo was easier to drive due to its less power. The 959 had two turbos, you had to think about it when pressing the accelerator. She was very flexible and had extraordinary torque. I remember crossing the dunes arriving almost in slow motion without me crashing on the crests. Not once did I stay stuck in the sand, except once when I had to help Jacky.