Thierry Sabine

Thierry Sabine
Sabine during the 1986 Paris-Alger-Dakar rally, on 4 January.
Born	(1949-06-13)13 June 1949 Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Died	14 January 1986(1986-01-14) (aged 36) Mali
Nationality	French

Thierry Sabine (13 June 1949, Neuilly-sur-Seine – 14 January 1986, Mali) was a French wrangler, motorcycle racer and founder and main organizer of the Dakar Rally.

Career

In 1977 Sabine got lost on the Tchigai Plateau, near the isolated mountain of Emi Fezzan during the Abidjan-Nice Race, and realized that the desert would be a good location for a rally where amateurs could test their ability. In December 1977 he established a race from Paris to Dakar and devoted the rest of his life to its organization. His motto for the Dakar Rally was, "A challenge for those who go. A dream for those who stay behind." ^[1]

Sabine was noted for the care he took over the competitors, which was exemplified during the 1983 running of the event. That year, the route crossed the as-yet-unexplored Ténéré region of the Sahara and 40 competitors became lost when a sandstorm struck. He spent four days flying over the region and was able to direct all lost competitors toward the correct route. Nicole Maitrot, a competitor the previous year, said of him:

"One has the impression that Thierry Sabine is God looking over his sheep from up in his helicopter, coming down in a swirl of airplane to help those who are lost." ^[1]

Sabine was killed when his Ecureuil helicopter crashed into a dune at Mali during a sudden sandstorm at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday 14 January 1986. Also killed onboard was the singer-songwriter Daniel Balavoine, helicopter pilot François-Xavier Bagnoud, journalist Nathalie Odent and Jean-Paul Lefur who was a radiophonic engineer for RTL. ^[2] Sabine's ashes were later scattered at the Lost Tree in Niger, which the rally thereafter described as the "Arbre Thierry Sabine". ^[3]

He was featured in the movie A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later released in 1986.

Racing record

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1975	P. Dagoreau (private entrant)	Philippe Dagoreau Jean-Pierre Aeschlimann	Porsche 911 Carrera RS	GT	285	17th	3rd
1976	ASA Cachia	Philippe Dagoreau Jean-Claude Andruet	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	Gr.5 SP	288	13th	6th
1977	L. Meznarie (private entrant)	Jean Bélin	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	Gr.5 SP	–	DNQ

Complete Tour de France Automobile results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Pos.	Class Pos.
1971	Ford-France	Frédéric Bonnard	Ford Capri 2600	T3.0		DNF
1972	T. Sabine (private entrant)	"Bedin"	Porsche 911 S	Gr.3 +2.0		DNF
1973		Jean Delannoy	Porsche 911 Carrera RS	Gr.3	4th	2nd

References

1. "DAKAR RETROSPECTIVE 1979-2007" (PDF). dakar.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
2. Motorsport Memorial
3. Lawrence Hacking and Wil Clercq, To Dakar and Back: 21 Days Across North Africa by Motorcycle, p.7