Paris-Dakar 1979, a motorcycle affair

There were only 20 journalists representing 13 media outlets to cover the first Paris-Dakar, contested from December 26, 1978 to January 14, 1979, including AUTOhebdo. Here is the critical, but indulgent, view that the young magazine took on this unprecedented race.

Published on 29/12/2022 à 13:00

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Raid or rally this Paris-Dakar? The duration and difficulty of this event (nearly 10 km) would tend to favor the first solution. Indeed, isn't three weeks too long for a sprint race? The first timed special was contested after four days of liaison stages. The road book was not always accurate, the mileage indicated was not always accurate, there were inevitably some youthful mistakes, which is forgivable. Above all, we can blame the organizers for one thing, which is that they too often lacked firmness in applying the regulations. To ensure the credibility of such a rally, it is essential to respect the established regulations to the letter. That said, the regions crossed and the tracks