Dakar 1989

Ari Vatanen and Dakar veteran Jacky Ickx would lead the Peugeot charge, pushing the 405 T16 to the limit across the treacherous African landscape, chased throughout by the Mitsubishi Pajeros. The Mitsubishi team, which featured Andrew Cowan and Grand Prix star Patrick Tambay, endured a testing Dakar Rally, with poor quality fuel and reliability problems denting hopes of victory. Despite the setbacks, Tambay produced an awesome performance which kept the Peugeots under pressure. Although the result was clouded by controversy following the imposition of Peugeot team orders, the three-way battle between Vatanen, Ickx and Tamaby makes for dramatic viewing. In the motorcycle section, Honda and Yamaha renewed their Dakar rivalry in 1989, with five-time winner Cyril Neveu swapping teams to head the Yamaha challenge. Stephane Peterhansel was the dominant early leader, but the battle for victory came down to the Yamaha of Franco Picco and Honda’s Gilles Lalay.