René Metge was one of the pioneers of the Dakar Rally and his mark continues to resonate in the caravan of the legendary event. The traveling community that is the XXL bivouac installed in the heart of the Saudi desert, in Al-Ula, learned in the midst of preparing for the 46th edition of the rally, which starts this Friday, of the death of someone who was one of its first icons and passionate defender of his origins. The former driver, who died at the age of 82, won three editions of the competition in the 80s at the controls of a Land Rover (1981) and a Porsche (1984 and 1986), and a replica of this vehicle presided over the presentation ceremony for the competitors.
The classic 959 used by Metge and Jacky Ickx, second in the '86 edition, was seen in the foreground while the organization showed a video in memory of the French motorsport icon. To date, only three drivers – Stephane Peterhansel, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Ari Vatanen – have won the four-wheeled event more times. “Unfortunately, we have received very bad news from France. René was a passionate adventurer, he won the Dakar with this same car, also with Land Rover before. He later became our director and became famous as the man of Paris-Peking. Today we want to pay tribute to him,” commented David Castera, current director of the rally. Listening to him in the front row were Juan Morera and Lidia Ruba, the Spanish couple who won the last edition of the Dakar Classic and signed the beautiful replica, built piece by piece with great care from the base of a 954. “Just yesterday the daughter called to the organization when they saw the car, excited, and today they asked us to bring it closer to the podium after hearing the news,” the co-pilot of the MomaBikes Raid Team explained to EL PAÍS.
Immediately after his last success, Metge became the second director of the Paris-Dakar after the tragic death of Thierry Sabine, its creator and organizer, in a helicopter accident during the eighth edition of the legendary event. “This cannot disappear because it is something unique, more than a race,” he said after winning in 1986 amid the uncertainty caused by that unexpected setback. Restless and adventurous, as the real crazy people always were and continue to be dakarians, lasted two years at the helm of the event until he began organizing his own rallies around the world while trying his luck in the 24 hours of Le Mans. He first rode one with snowmobiles in Quebec, and then returned to street vehicles with several tests that connected Paris to Beijing via Moscow and St. Petersburg. His last great contribution to the world of rally-raid was the creation, along with other old glories such as Hubert Auriol and Jean-Louis Schlesser, of the Africa Eco Race, in full dispute these days.
“I love the landscapes, but especially the inhabitants,” the former pilot recalled about his special passion for Africa in one of his last interviews, with the specialized French magazine AutoHebdo. “Every time I return to the mainland, I find a new place. “I always have the impression that it is my first time.” Plugged into the world of racing until his last breath, Metge asked as his last wish not to be buried until the end of the Eco Race, a return to the days of Sabine that ends in Dakar on January 14 and avoids the media boasts of his sister elderly. “The Dakar is a difficult race technically, but also humanly. In fact, it is a school of life that confronts you with humility,” he concluded about the test that marked him until the end of his days.
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