Dakar 1986: The 'tragic' rally that took no prisoners – 40 years on

It’s difficult to imagine 2026 WEC champs James Calado or Antonio Giovinazzi entering this year’s Dakar. Robert Kubica is the exception that proves the rule…

For Donaldson, the ’86 Dakar was a trying affair before it had even got started properly, the caravan leaving a snowstorm in Versailles on January 1 for North Africa by ferry and plane.

“Press contingent flies in decrepit twin-engined Fokkers,” he writes. “Sign landing card and waiver form with shaky hand – suffering somewhat from bouts of typhoid, cholera, yellow fever, tetanus and malaria – legacy of preventative shots to counteract possible plagues in remote regions ahead.”

Of the 486 vehicles entered, 30 didn’t make it to the end of Stage 1 on January 3. One Japanese rider, Yasuo Keneko, a restaurant owner from Tokyo, was killed when he was struck by a local drunk driver towards the end of the stage.

Meanwhile, Pescarolo had to abandon 15km into the first special stage when his Range Rover spontaneously combusted, and Williams test driver Jean-Louis Schlesser saw his Aro 4×4’s gearbox give up.

A couple more days into the event and proceedings were beginning to represent a mobile experiment in human psychology, as attested by Donaldson.

“Roam camp at night seeking clever quotes from famous people,” he writes.

“See several personalities in their underwear. Previous P-DR winner Jacky Ickx says he loves desert because hostile environment makes him feel humble.

“Henri Pescarolo says his father, a shrink in Paris, thinks he’s crazy. Canadian racer John Graham says, ‘This event is insane.’

“Conduct informal interview with Prince Albert of Monaco in unique atmosphere of camp latrine behind sand dune. Prince tells of rear door of his vehicle flying open today and royal luggage biting dust.”

Ickx crashed his Porsche while avoiding a cyclist on Stage 4, but managed to continue. The Belgian’s Stuttgart machine, plus that of his team-mate Rene Metge, traded top times with Range Rover rival Jean-Pierre Gabreau. As Donaldson highlights though, others are struggling, with a portent of the tragedy to come.

“Only 323 vehicles left,” he reports. “Have yet to see a camel. Suspect even camels fear to tread in this terrifying terrain. Surrounding Hogar Mountains make Grand Canyon look like playground sandbox.

“Toll today includes five cars rolled, three burned to a crisp, two trucks destroyed falling off mountain.

“Press helicopter also crashed. Told this is par for the course, as last year a press plane belly-flopped into dune while zooming in for action closeup. Wrecked plane is still there.”

By January 9 raging sandstorms start to present a serious problem. Donaldson describes event staff and journalists having to push aircraft laden with supplies and communications around in attempt to get them off the ground.

It takes 100 people to get a Hercules cargo plane airborne. With water in short supply, the journalist resorts to cleaning his teeth with Heineken lager, something he says he wouldn’t recommend.

Donaldson arranges an interview with Sabine – whose nickname is ‘Jesus’ due to his white jumpsuit, white helicopter and tendency to appear out of nowhere – but it never happens.

The Porsches lost time to the Range Rovers when stuck in sand dunes on Stage 9, but when the rally reached Gao in Mali competitors had bigger problems, as described by our hero.

“Press planes land in blizzard of sand,” he says. “Quickly surrounded by barefoot soldiers wearing WWII Russian-issue greatcoats. All passports seized and we are herded into fenced enclosure.

“Photographer has camera confiscated, then returned for equivalent of $40. Other ransoms are paid for watches, wallets, etc. Annual Mali per capita income of $160 (second lowest in world) is raised handsomely by P-DR.

“Sabine negotiates settlement with captors, then takes off in his white chopper into teeth of gathering sandstorm.”

That would be the last time anyone would see Sabine. His helicopter hit a sand dune during the night, killing all occupants. Also onboard was Balavoine, French journalist Nathaly Odent, radio technician Jean-Paul Lefur and the pilot, François-Xavier Bagnoud, a cousin of Prince Albert.

The field was left distraught by the tragic loss of its leader. “There’s nothing to say,” uttered one competitor. However, Sabine had it written in his will that the event would continue in the event of his death, and so his wishes are followed.

“What a charm, what a guy!” said Ickx paying tribute during the rally. “He was a brigadier general, a kind of Montgomery. These kind of people, there’s only one. We don’t why, but they are different. One every ten years!”

Donaldson describes flying on in the press plane as Balavoine tunes play from its scratchy speaker system in tribute.

From January 16-17 the rally passed through arguably the world’s most treacherous desert in Mauritania, and 69 vehicles retired in a single stage, leaving 149 from the original 486.

Meanwhile, a press plane disappeared in the desert after running out of fuel, but then later turned up in Senegal, much to everyone’s surprise.

Donaldson and co took one more death-defying flight ahead of the rally from Tambacounda in Senegal to country’s capital of Dakar – yet again in a sandstorm.

“Finally, with two minutes fuel to spare, Dakar is found by flying out over Atlantic ocean and coming into land under enormous dust cloud,” writes the journalist.

“Fokker pilots make show of kissing airport tarmac. They say they were not joking. Check into hotel. Take four showers (three with clothes on). Rally halted – zero visibility.

“Jacky Ickx, in second-placed Porsche 959, is fearful: ‘I’m very happy there are only two days to go but I’m also terrified. Anything can happen.’

“Casualty toll so far: 6 dead, 21 seriously injured, countless walking wounded.”

On January 22 the torture finally ended, with one hundred vehicles making it to the finish at Dakar.

Competitors were mobbed by crowds on the street, having come through conditions that were challenging even by this formidable event’s standards.

Rene Metge/Dominic Lemoyne won the car class in their Porsche 959, Mercedes’ Giacomo Visarana/Guilio Minelli claimed top honours in the truck category while Honda’s Cyril Neveu won on his bike for the fifth time.

Motorcyclist Giampaolo Marinoni died of injuries from a crash a few days later, not that any of these fatalities would deter some.

“When you fly over a massive sand dune at 100 miles an hour it’s such an intense sensation you can’t measure the thrill,” veteran biker Hubert Auriol tells Donaldson in the aftermath, despite breaking his shoulder and destroying his motorcycle that year.

“It’s the most fantastic experience you can have in sport.”