VOLUME 58 ISSUE 2 JANUARY 12, 2021 P21
Dakar Rally Legend Passes
F
rench rally legend Hubert
Auriol passed away after a
lengthy battle with cardiovascu-
lar disease following a Covid-19
diagnosis.
The man affectionately known
as The African was a legend of
original Paris-Dakar, winning the
grueling event twice on a mo-
torcycle (1981 and 1983), and in
1992, he became the first com-
petitor to also win in a car, when
the race spanned the length of
the African continent.
Born in Addis Ababa in
Ethiopia, Auriol is perhaps best
remembered for his herculean
1987 race while riding for the
Cagiva factory in which he
completed the penultimate stage
after breaking both his ankles.
The naturalized French citizen
later became the director of the
race and was largely responsible
for the Dakar's rejuvenation in
the late 1990s, running the Par-
is-Dakar from 1995 to 2003. His
reign at the helm of the Dakar
would see the race start out of
Africa for the first time, when the
event commenced in Granada in
Spain in 1995, 1996 and 1999,
and also from Dakar itself in 1997
and 2000.
"The recent updates on the
health of Hubert Auriol foreshad-
owed the tragic news received
by the organizers of the Dakar
during stage 7," the Dakar orga-
nizers said in a statement. "The
organizers of the Dakar, shocked
and saddened by the news,
would like to extend their sincere
condolences to the friends and
family of a man who was a guid-
ing light throughout the history of
the rally, with a special thought
for his daughters Julie, Jenna and
Leslie. He inspired generations
of riders and drivers and has
been an integral part of the rally
throughout its history."
Hubert also holds the record
with fellow French motorsport
legend Henri Pescarolo and Pat-
rick Fourtick and Arthur Powell
for circumnavigating the world
in a propellor plane in 1987 in a
flight that took just over 88 hours
to complete. CN
French Paris-Dakar Rally
legend Hubert Auriol
has passed away. Auriol
won the Dakar Rally on a
motorcycle and in a car
and went on to join the
race's organizing team.
