| 1979 Dakar Rally | ||
|---|---|---|
| 
 | ||
| _ru.svg.png.webp) The route | ||
| Host country |  France  Algeria  Niger  Mali  Senegal | |
| Results | ||
| Cars winner |  Alain Génestier Range Rover | |
| Bikes winner |  Cyril Neveu Yamaha XT500 | |
| Trucks winner |  Jean-François Dunac Pinzgauer | |
1979 Dakar Rally, also known as the 1979 Paris–Alger–Dakar Rally was the first running of the Dakar Rally event. The rally began on 26 December 1978 from Paris, France and finished on 14 January 1979 in Dakar, Senegal, interrupted by a transfer across the Mediterranean. Cyril Neveu won the motorcycle category on a Yamaha, while the car category was won by Alain Génestier in a Range Rover.[1]
Summary
182 competitors (80 cars, 90 motorcycles and 12 trucks [1]) contested the inaugural Paris-Dakar Rally, departing the Place du Trocadéro on Boxing Day 1978 to embark upon a 10,000 kilometre journey to the Senegalese capital of Dakar via Algeria, Niger, Mali and Upper Volta. All the vehicles that took part were classified together, although they would compete separately in subsequent editions of the race.
Cyril Neveu won the rally aboard a Yamaha despite not winning any individual stages, taking the lead on the sixth stage after Patrick Schaal (Yamaha) fell and fractured his little finger.[1] Jean-Claude Morellet, competing under the alias of "Fenouil", had been running second until he was forced to retire as his BMW suffered engine failure with less than 200 km of the rally left to run. That promoted Gilles Comte (Yamaha) to second and Philippe Vassard (Honda), the only competitor to complete the Bamako-Nioro stage in the originally allotted time before it was extended, to third.[1]
Alain Génestier's Range Rover was the best of the cars in fourth, ahead of the Renault 4 of the Marreau brothers. Neveu's brother Christophe had led early on in the rally after winning two of the first three stages in his Range Rover, but got lost on the stage between Arlit and Agadez along with around a quarter of the remaining competitors.[2]
Entry list
Source[3]
Number of entries
| Stage | Bikes | Cars | Trucks | Total | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start of Rally | 90 | 80 | 12 | 182 | 
| End of Rally | 34 | 37 | 3 | 74 | 
Vehicles and Categories
Competitor list
| Entry list — Bikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Entry list — Cars/Trucks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cars
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Driver | Co-Driver/Co-Drivers | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Range Rover | Range Rover | 120 |  Christophe Neveu |  Gilles Gaignault | 
| 156 |  Jacky Privé |  Reynald Privé | ||
| 168 |  René Metge |  Claude Barbier | ||
|  Toyota | Toyota | 121 |  Michel Delannoy |  Frédéric Harrewynn | 
| 134 |  Alain Vandekerkhove |  Daniel Pichot and  Gérard Dutertry | ||
| 135 |  Dominique Fougerrousse |  Christine Beckers and  Marguerite Ondarts | ||
| 136 |  Pierre Fougerrousse |  Anne-Marie de Belabre | ||
|  Renault | Renault | 131 |  Claude Marreau |  Bernard Marreau | 
| 169 |  Georges Houél |  Christian Pouchelon | 
Stages
| Stage | Date | From | To | Dist. | Winner (cars) | Winner (bikes) | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 December 1978 |  Paris |  Montlhéry | 3.6 |  C. Neveu |  C. Desnoyers | 
| 27 December 1978 |  Montlhéry |  Marseille | Liaison only | |||
| 28–30 December 1978 | Transportation to Africa | |||||
| 2 | 31 December 1978 |  Algiers |  Reggane | Liaison only | ||
| 1 January 1979 |  Reggane |  In Salah | 270 |  J. Privé |  C. Rayer | |
| 2 January 1979 |  In Salah |  Tamanrasset | Liaison only | |||
| 3 | 3 January 1979 |  Tamanrasset |  In Guezzam | 373 |  C. Neveu |  R. Potisek | 
| 4 January 1979 |  Assamaka |  Arlit | 230 |  G. Daurangeon |  P. Schaal | |
| 5 January 1979 |  Arlit |  Agadez | 231 |  P-L. Moreau |  J-C. Olivier | |
| 4 | 6 January 1979 |  Agadez |  Niamey | 230 |  C. Marreau |  J-C. Olivier | 
| 5 | 7 January 1979 |  Niamey |  Gao | 448 | Stage cancelled | |
| 8 January 1979 |  Gao | Rest day | ||||
| 6 | 9 January 1979 |  Gao |  Mopti | 600 |  A. Génestier |  G. Comte | 
| 10 January 1979 |  Mopti |  Bamako | Liaison only | |||
| 7 | 11 January 1979 |  Bamako |  Nioro du Sahel | 417 |  C. Giraudo |  P. Vassard | 
| 8 | 12 January 1979 |  Nioro du Sahel |  Kayes | 270 | None declared |  C. Rayer | 
| 13 January 1979 |  Kayes |  Bakel | Liaison only | |||
| 14 January 1979 |  Bakel |  Dakar | 96 |  H. Rigal |  G. Comte | |
- The above distances (in kilometres) refer only to the competitive timed part of the stage, which make up 3,168 km.
Results
Source[4]
| Final standings (positions 1–10) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | No. | Competitor(s) | Vehicle | Class | 
| 1 | 12 |  Cyril Neveu | Yamaha XT 500 | Moto | 
| 2 | 2 |  Gilles Comte | Yamaha XT 500 | Moto | 
| 3 | 23 |  Philippe Vassard | Honda XL 250S | Moto | 
| 4 | 162 |  Alain Génestier  Joseph Terbiaut  Jean Lemordant | Range Rover V8 | Auto | 
| 5 | 131 |  Claude Marreau  Bernard Marreau | Renault 4 Sinpar | Auto | 
| 6 | 52 |  Alain Schaecht | Honda XL 250S | Moto | 
| 7 | 143 |  Cesare Giraudo  Antonio Cavalleri  Mario Cavalleri | Fiat Campagnola | Auto | 
| 8 | 3 |  Christian Rayer | Yamaha XT 500 | Moto | 
| 9 | 141 |  Tommaso Carletti  Amarilli Carletti | Fiat Campagnola | Auto | 
| 10 | 134 |  Alain Vandekerkhove  Gérard Dutertry  Daniel Pichot | Toyota BJ | Auto | 
| Final standings (positions 11–74) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | No. | Competitor(s) | Vehicle | Class | 
| 11 | 73 |  Jacques Maitrot | Honda XL 250S | Moto | 
| 12 | 65 |  Hubert Auriol | Yamaha XT 500 | Moto | 
| 13 | 21 |  Bernard Neimer | Honda XL 250S | Moto | 
| 14 | 34 |  Bernard Atanne | Honda XL 250S | Moto | 
| 15 | 64 |  Laurent Gomis | Suzuki SP 370 | Moto | 
| 16 | 100 |  Hubert Rigal  Dominique Rochette | Range Rover V8 | Auto | 
| 17 | 140 |  Agostino Tocci  Carlo Fucci | Fiat Campagnola | Auto | 
| 18 | 125 |  Guy Chambily  Michel Desaunay | Toyota BJ | Auto | 
| 19 | 41 |  Martine de Cortanze | Honda XL 250S | Moto | 
| 20 | 16 |  Jean Pierre Dos Reis | Honda XL 250S | Moto | 
| 21 | 74 |  Guy Albaret | Yamaha XT 500 | Moto | 
| 22 | 70 | .svg.png.webp) Alain Padou | Honda XL 250S | Moto | 
| 23 | 150 |  Jean-Jacques Ratet  Robert Ignazi | Toyota BJ | Auto | 
| 24 | 55 |  Alain Martin | Honda XL 250S | Moto | 
| 25 | 139 |  Philippe Catel  Anne Catel | Range Rover V8 | Auto | 
| 26 | 121 |  Michel Delannoy  Frédéric Harrewyn | Toyota Diesel | Auto | 
| 27 | 133 |  Henri Mouren  Henri Braquet | Toyota BJ | Auto | 
| 28 | 132 |  Pierre Minonzio  Jean-Louis Ledentu | Lada Niva | Auto | 
| 29 | 26 |  Henri Gabrelle | Honda XL 250S | Moto | 
| 30 | 58 |  Eric Popineau | Honda XL 250S | Moto | 
| 31 | 142 |  Franco Arbizzi  Giovanni Crappolo | Fiat Campagnola | Auto | 
| 32 | 17 |  Patrice Taravella | Honda XL 250S | Moto | 
| 33 | 76 |  Pierre Berty | Yamaha XT 500 | Moto | 
| 34 | 29 |  Marie Ertaud | Yamaha XT 500 | Moto | 
| 35 | 13 |  Patrick Beaufront | Yamaha XT 500 | Moto | 
| 36 | 54 |  Bernard Gautier | Honda XL 250S | Moto | 
| 37 | 112 |  Claude Neveu  Gary Carrera  Gilles Maurice | Toyota BJ | Auto | 
| 38 | 11 |  Yves Bon | Yamaha XT 500 | Moto | 
| 39 | 47 |  Daniel Piton | Kawasaki KL 250 | Moto | 
| 40 | 68 |  Didier Boucher | Yamaha XT 500 | Moto | 
| 41 | 135 |  Dominique Fougerouse .svg.png.webp) Christine Beckers  Marguerite Ondarts | Toyota BJ | Auto | 
| 42 | 107 |  Christian Duboscq  Pierre-Emmanuel Froissart | Lada Niva | Auto | 
| 43 | 10 |  Thierry Pascault | Yamaha XT 500 | Moto | 
| 44 | 180 |  Jean-François Dunac  François Beau  Jean-Pierre Chapel | Pinzgauer 6X6 | Trucks | 
| 45 | 42 |  Pascale Geurie | Honda XL 250S | Moto | 
| 46 | 18 |  Pierre Mengue | Yamaha XT 500 | Moto | 
| 47 | 113 |  Jean-Michel Bordais  Marcel Quie | Range Rover V8 | Auto | 
| 48 | 83 |  Bernard Rigoni | Guzzi TT 500 | Moto | 
| 49 | 110 |  François Forestier  Philippe Meneau | Toyota BJ | Auto | 
| 50 | 62 |  Alain Vial | Suzuki SP 370 | Moto | 
| 51 | 172 |  Jean-Pierre Kurrer  Jean-Claude Henriet | Cournil | Auto | 
| 52 | 176 |  Claude Sezalory  Casarini  De Frémont | Toyota BJ | Auto | 
| 53 | 117 |  Bernard Lemonnier  Jacqueline Lemonnier | Toyota Diesel | Auto | 
| 54 | 138 |  Gérard Sarrazin  Lucette Sarrazin | Range Rover V8 | Auto | 
| 55 | 157 |  Dominique Fondrillon  Marcel Schaecht | Toyota BJ | Auto | 
| 56 | 106 |  Max Hugueny  Bernard Trévidic | Toyota Diesel | Auto | 
| 57 | 104 |  Jean-François Piot  Pierre Raux  Jean-Pierre Boulme | Toyota BJ | Auto | 
| 58 | 28 |  Max Commençal | Yamaha XT 500 | Moto | 
| 59 | 192 |  Daniel Petit  Françis Mare | Unic | Trucks | 
| 60 | 101 |  Maurice Calamel  Michel Calamel | Land Rover | Auto | 
| 61 | 175 |  René Banino  Henri Legourriérec | Toyota BJ | Auto | 
| 62 | 166 |  Jean Dominique Clément  Anne Clément | Land Rover | Auto | 
| 63 | 72 |  Guy Leconte | Yamaha XT 500 | Moto | 
| 64 | 57 |  Thierry Roghe | Honda XL 250S | Moto | 
| 65 | 19 |  Grégoire Verhaeghe | Honda XL 125S | Moto | 
| 66 | 171 |  Philippe Chapel  Sannier  Yves Belleville | Range Rover V8 | Auto | 
| 67 | 174 |  Michel Puren  Pierre Dumas | Range Rover V8 | Auto | 
| 68 | 170 |  Gil Guillot  Patrice Pradeau | Cournil | Auto | 
| 69 | 164 |  Olivier Turcat  Dominique de Araujo | Cournil | Auto | 
| 70 | 118 |  Pierre Chamagne  Raymond Thérage | Peugeot 504 | Auto | 
| 71 | 103 |  Daniel Nollan  Philippe Hayat  Jean-Pierre Domblides | Renault KZ | Auto | 
| 72 | 187 |  Alain Mekki  Jean Neault | Unic | Trucks | 
| 73 | 165 |  Marc André  Philippe Puyfoulhoux | Peugeot 404 Plateu | Auto | 
| 74 | 127 |  Pierre Bouille  Gilles Morel | Renault 5 | Auto | 
References
- 1 2 3 4 "History of Dakar - RETROSPECTIVE 1979-2007" (PDF). Dakar. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
- ↑ "Christophe Neveu". dakardantan.com. Retrieved 2015-01-01.
- ↑ "Dakar Historic Book 2024".
- ↑ "Paris-Dakar 1979 - Classification". dakardantan.com.
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