Motorcycle culture has always had a special place at Cruizador. In a previous post, we talked about motorcycle travel literature , giving you a selection of 10 major books. Attention to the reader: Please note that s ome of those books might not have been translated into English. So bear with us. But we thought they were wort being mentioned. We start with a book that we also included in our motorcycle travel literature selection here. For the younger crowd, Fenouil was a rally-raid organizer and also served as the director of the Paris-Dakar.
Thierry Sabine is none other than the founder of the Paris-Dakar. Jean-Luc had been covering the Paris-Dakar from the very start, making him an expert on the subject. The two had a close relationship. This fueled his love for the desert and sparked the idea of creating his own rally. Another book written by Jean-Luc Roy, who covered the Dakar in and , first from a press car a trusty old Lada , then in , he took the plunge and joined the raceโnot on a bike, but driving a prototype Range Rover, then a Portaro, and later with Mercedes and A true expert of the Dakar and its participants, he shares a valuable account of the golden years of the rally.
Daniel, another iconic figure of the Paris-Dakar, tragically lost his life in Mali, in a helicopter crash alongside Thierry Sabine. This book, written by the protagonist herself, tells the story of Martine Cortanze, a year-old motorcyclist who found herself at the start of the first Paris-Dakar on a Honda XLS.
Her account, filled with humor and rich in anecdotes, is about a determined and tough woman who ended up finishing 11th in the motorcycle category. In a male-dominated world of motorcycles, this kind of book offers a different perspective, and who knows, it might even inspire some new riders.
Hubert may not be entirely unfamiliar to you, especially because he contributed to make the BMW GS a future commercial success. As a reminder, the GS was the most sold motorcycle in Switzerland in Just saying! This book, filled with images , takes us inside the world of a rally star from the time when the Paris-Dakar still took place between Paris and Dakar. Back when speed, avoiding traps, and navigating solely by roadbook and gut instinct were the keys to success. Hubert Auriol, undoubtedly one of the most talented riders of his generation, helped write the Dakar legend.
