In 1977 French motorcyclist Thierry Sabine was in serious trouble, lost in the Libyan Desert..
Thierry Sabine
French racing driver and race organizer
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.
In 1977, motorcycle racer Thierry Sabine, born on I3th June 1949 in France, got lost in the Libyan Desert during the Abidjan-Nice race.
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 wa