> In the truck class, the surprise winners [in the 1986 rally] were Giacomo Vismara and Giulio Minelli in the Mercedes support truck for the Honda of Italy bike team.

The Dakar Rally is such a crazy event, and that a support team can also win, even if the team they were supported didn't, or even had to retire before reaching the finish line.

What others sports could you even achieve something like that?

Rally in the 80s until 1986 was insane. There was the class B with some of the most powerful rally cars ever built. If you see older insane rally videos, it is usually from class B.

The Porsche 959 never participated in group B races, and it would have been really interesting to see it competing with Audi Quattro and Lancia Delta.

unfortunately in 1986 there were several tragic accidents, resulted in the end of group b.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_B

Here are some scenes from group B that give a feeling how intense and dangerous it was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRtyT9WQzdY

> Back in 1977, while riding a Yamaha XT 500 in the Abidjan-Nice Rally, a wealthy French motorcycle racer named Thierry Sabine got lost in the Libyan desert.

The Libyan desert is a very dangerous place. Cambyses son of Cyrus the Great ended up losing an entire army of tens of thousands of men in the Libyan desert. The army was never found. Later Alexander the Great also got lost in the Libyan desert and was only saved because he was able to see and follow some ravens.

Bill's 959 Story: https://www.motorbiscuit.com/bill-gates-illegal-porsche-sat-...

Balavoine was a once in a generation talent. He was a great singer but more importantly an exceptional composer right next to Goldman.

He died at 36 and still he was able to write so many memorable songs.

Lady Marlene is not the most popular but I have fond memories of it.

> Baron fell into a coma, from which he never awoke. He passed in 2010.

I hadn't known that Baron was in a coma for 24 years after this.

If you have some cash to spend, the 911 was just released in a limited Dakar edition, incl. the OG Rothmans decals. Work of art.

I vividly remember how Ari Vatanen won the 1987 event in a Peugeot 205 (I was in elementary school). On the heels of the rally success he went on to become the PR face of Big Milk for the next decade or so.

This was a big deal back in the day. I remember watching the Today Show with mom (miss you) and them doing a segment on the race and the 959.

> Back in 1977, while riding a Yamaha XT 500

This bike is a legend.

I used to ride one when I was younger.

Fond memories of that fat 500cc mono.

This years Dakar has felt so sanitized and corporate, I’m a bit sad by the series’ progression. And not a single car in the lineup. I will say the Audi team’s raid car is absolutely one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen, though.

Has Dakar spent dramatically more money on (social media) marketing this year? Seems like they are popping up all over the place in a way the didn't in the past... I very much doubt its all organic

Is Dakar Rally relevant anymore? Certainly doesn't seem so compared to the Paris-Dakar races I remember from the 70s and 80s.

i thought this was the one that mark thatcher got lost in (but was unhappily found again) but unfortunately it was not.

If you really want to experience rallying I would recommend driving one of the modern road going rally inspired cars like the Lancer EVO / WRX STI / GR Yaris. They handle like no other, and will push the casual driver to their limits much before the car reaches its limits. Also turbo lag is fun.