Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Serge Bacou was one member in a six-rider Yamaha squad. Jean Claude Oliver was first Yamaha to finish, in sixth place. Six sidecar teams started the event. Only one made it to the finish and they were almost three days behind Rahier. The Tenere Desert is no place to get hurt. This rider broke a collarbone and had to wait to be evacuated, but was otherwise OK. time 125cc World Motocross Champion by the name of Gaston Rahier. Rahier was in his second Paris- Dakar; last year he won two stages before destroying his engine on a rock. This year he learned his lesson and not only won the race but led most of the way. The BMW bikes were a 980cc version of the flat twin mounted in a GS-type frame with twin shocks; nothing really special-looking at first but a very powerful and well-balanced unit superbly maintained by an army of mechanics in trucks, cars and a plane. BMW, which to date is only doing thi race, was reported to have spent some· 350,000 in preparing for the rally! . As mentioned, the race started in Paris on a very cold New Year's Day morning in the heart of the city, and after reaching the Mediterranean coast they embarked for Algiers where the rally was supposed to really begin. Delay of the arrival in Algeria and other governmental problems forced the organi-zers to change plans in the original route, and after two days of mostly asphalt road, the race really began in the heart of the Sahara desert at El Golea with a special test stage to Tamanrasset, where a surprise leader was the young MX star Vimond. The route then left Algeria for the terrible desert called the Tenere. The "desert of deserts," it is caJled, a gigantic arid area with flatlands spreading for hundreds of miles with nothing on the horizon. There is nothing to help you see where you cluding Auriol, fair and square. During one timed stage in the desert, Veronique Anquetil on a Yamaha 600 finished fourth, which is quite an accom pi ishment. She went on to easily win the Lday's Cup. As the ahara desert vanished and the ride in Africa began, the two BMWs of Rahier and Auriol had at least least one full hour on' the next rider. Both Honda and Yamaha were swearing that they will not come back in '85 with a 600cc single engine; because of the way the race shapes up they need a 1000cc bike. However, neither company has an engine uitable for this type of racing. Honda's 750 V-twin XLV i too tall with the big 12-gallon gas tank. eveu and Vassard both said that if Honda wants to come back and win they will have to beat the BMW and to do that they will have to design a complete new engine. It would be very funny if they have to do another flat twin! There were talks about a CX-type V-twin. While Honda has at least something they can play with, Yamaha would have to design a new engine. While the course crossed the countries of Niger, Upper Volta, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone (where English is spoken) and Guinea, Auriol was doing a fantastic job trying to gain time on his teammate. Auriol tried everything, showing superb courage and skill in that difficult terrain, where dusty, fast trails are combined with semi-abandoned trails which have huge holes and rocks. But Rahier had only to keep his teammate in sight and that is exactly what he did. may be; it is pure navigation just like on high seas. With good weather it is not too difficult, but with bad weather like last year, when a tetrible sandstorm happened, it is catastrophic. Dozens of people got lost in that ea of sand. This year there was gorgeous weather and nothing really happened. Except for the privateers who were running without support vehicles and had to carry literally everything with them. One rider had 25 rear flats in one day and soon had nothing left to repair! He waited for orne help, which came, and then 50 miles later burned out his clutch pushing his bike in the deep, ft sand. Hi XR is still there. The same story could be told for the sidecars, which weigh some 500 pounds and are usually powered by a big (IOOOcc or bigger) in-line-four Suzuki or Honda, and often had to be pushed in very soft sand. The monkey, in some cases, spent 7000 miles either standing up or pushing. Out of the six rigs at the start, only one finished in Dakar some 65 hours behind Rahier! In the middJe of tha t Tenere desert Vimond lost the lead and probably the rally when his carburetor got stuck wide open because of sand. He lost three hours and gave the lead to Rahier who never looked back, despite the charges from teammate Auriol, and the obvious desire of the BMW mechanics to favor the past winner from France. Rahier showed his skills in all types of terrain, the fast deserts' and the choppy trails of Africa .where he beat everybody, in- In the very difficult stage in Guinea - a country that has been closed to the western world for the last 25 years and where roads are just names Gaston showed why he was a World Champion motocrosser. Every time the terrain was difficult, Rahier was in front. He rode a very clever race the laSt few days of the ordeal. He Jet Auriol do what he had to do but rode consistently behind him until he reached the beaches of Dakar in enegaI. Rahier and Auriol gave BMW a superb 1-2 and with Loizeaux fifth, the German manufacturer couldn't hope for better results. Honda's Phillipe Vassard and Cyril Neveu were third and fourth. The 1984 Paris to Dakar Rally is finished, but for next year there is talk for greater challenges with a longer course and close to a month of racing! Former ISDT gold medalist Malcolm Smith was on hand during this year's race along with Jeep factory driver Don Adams to see about the possibility of an American entry in next year's race in the car division, sowhynothavea U.S. bike team over there? After all we know the desert and racing is racing ... Next year's edition will start on January I in Paris. The win in the car division went to a four-wheel-drive9Il POTsche...The Germans have a way of dominating this sport. • Results 1. Gas10n Rahier (BMW 9110'; 2. Hubert Auriol (BMW 980'; 3. Philippe Vassard (Hon 600'; 4. Cyril Neveu IHon 600'; 5. Raymond Loizaaux (8MW 980); 6. Jean Claude Oliver (Yam 600'; 7. Andrea Balestrieri (Yam 6(0); 8. Alain Spir. (Hon 6(0); 9. Serge Bac:ou (Yam 600); 10. Michel Guillet (Hon 500). 15

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