Paris-Dakar 1979

 

 Cyril Neveu 1979 winner

Thierry Sabine

Grégoire Verhaeghe, the youngest entry finishes 65th

BMW is also present on this first 1979 Dakar, via its French subsidiary BMW France, with the relatively unnoticed commitment of an unknown motorcyclist, Philippe Jambert, on the occasion of the recent release of his R65.

Thierry Sabine's bet came true on December 26, 1978: 182 vehicles were present on the Place du Trocadéro for a 10,000 km journey into the unknown, towards Dakar. The meeting between two worlds, sought by the founder of the event, occurs on the African continent. Among the 74 pioneers who reached the Senegalese capital, Cyril Neveu, riding a Yamaha 500 XT, opened the list of winners of the biggest rally in the world.