If you've been following the Dakar Rally in recent years, you might think of it as a dune-filled off-road event that takes place in Saudi Arabia, with distinct classes for different types of vehicles. Motorcycles are most definitely a part of it, as are factory-sponsored teams. But for various reasons (some of which involve safety), timing is such that the motorcycles and the big trophy trucks aren't out on the stages at the same time.
That wasn't always the case, though. As with many events that change over time, the early runnings of the Dakar Rally were much different. For one, they originally ran from Paris, France to Dakar, Senegal. France was and remains a motorsport-mad nation, and so unsurprisingly, there was always a massive contingent of French racers and teams who have run in the Dakar Rally since its inception.
In 1980—the second-ever year of the Dakar Rally, if you're keeping track at home—a French racer turned PR person had a brilliant idea. You see, Jean-Francois Piot had witnessed the previous (and so far, only) running of the Dakar Rally as a spectator. Now that he was working for the Piaggio Group, he came up with a stunning idea to both promote Vespa scooters, and also keep a whole bunch of racing luminaries engaged in a distinctly uphill challenge.
