Jeffrey AronsonLast February, Rob Lynch of Anderson Overland Outfitters, Fuquay-Varina, NC, surprised me with a phone call; “I think you’ll enjoy speaking with Herve Solandt. He ran the Dakar Classic last month in a Range Rover Classic using one of our performance chips. He has a great story about the race!”
Now there’s a very British understatement. Over the phone and through in-person conversations, Herve shared his remarkable story with me.
In 1985, at age 22, Herve ran his first Dakar Rally (then called the Paris-Dakar Rally). As one of the youngest entrants, he drove a Toyota pickup; the thrilling challenge never left his memory and he vowed to return to the rally one day. Herve said, “It’s the most difficult rally in the world. I wanted to do the Dakar again because once you’ve run it, it becomes addictive.” It took him several decades to recreate the experience at age 60 and – even better – this time in a tribute 1987 Range Rover Classic 2-Door.
The Paris-Dakar Rally does not receive much attention from US enthusiasts, but worldwide, it ranks with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indy 500 in appeal. A modified Range Rover finished first in the inaugural 1979 rally, driven by French rally star Alain Genestiere.
Rene Metge and his French team won the “car” class in his Range Rover in 1981. A second Range Rover entry, stock except for an extra fuel tank and loaded with spares, tents and personal supplies, was crewed by Autocar colleagues John Miles and Tony Howard. They were also the only Englishmen to participate that year.
The original motto of the Dakar proclaimed, “A challenge for those who go. A dream for those who stay behind.” The rally takes its toll not only on the automobiles, motorcycles and trucks that tackle the thousands of miles of challenging terrain, but also on the drivers and navigators: some 70 people have died from accidents during its 45-year history.
Due to political issues, the Paris-Dakar has moved from its first iteration between Paris and Dakar, Senegal, through different routes in African nations. In 2000, the Pyramids of Gaza presided over the finish line. Terrorism in Mauritania forced the cancellation of the 2008 Dakar. The start moved from France into Spain and Portugal, until the Dakar organizers chose to change continents, shifting the event to South America from 2009–2019. After a decade, the organizers accepted the invitation from Saudi Arabia to hold the event on the Arabian Peninsula.
The 2024 Dakar took place between January 5–19, but the preparation began long before those two weeks. Herve Solandt’s return had begun over two years ago in his native southern France. As he approached the age of 60, he mulled over the significant moments in his life, and one event at age 22 – running the Dakar – stood out to him.
Professionally, Herve continues a long history in the world of fine cheeses, especially chèvre [goat cheese]; his Montchevre brand has received great praise from gourmands. Herve and his wife Maureen, from Longmeadow, MA, now split their time between Montauban,
near Toulouse in southern France, and Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.
As a young man, Herve revered local champion Raoul Raymondis, a 10-time competitor in the Dakar. In the year preceding Herve’s Dakar debut, Raoul had won the Baha Aragon, a grueling desert race inspired by the epic sweep of the Baja desert and the immense popularity of the Dakar. In 1989, Raul won the Baha Portugal 1000 in a Range Rover R200 – and repeated the victory in 1990 in the same vehicle. Friends with Dakar founder, Thierry Sabine, Raoul competed ten times between 1980–1991, finishing as high as 9th overall – always in a Range Rover. Herve said, “Raoul was my idol as a driver, and as a local legend. I wanted to return to the Dakar as a tribute to him.
Herve’s friend, Philippe Laborie, competed in the event in 1988; that connected him with the revered Raymondis, who earned 14th place that year. Philippe now operates a specialty garage, Atelier du Land, in Montauban. Hearing of Herve’s plan to return to the race, Philippe contacted Raoul to find the right Range Rover to enter the Dakar Classic; Raoul offered up his former 1987 two-door Range Rover rally vehicle. “We rebuilt the car from this wreck while observing the regulations covering the Dakar Classic entries,” noted Philippe in an
interview in La Dépêche. [Only certain vehicles built before December 31, 1999 are eligible -ed.]
Phillipe and his son, Brice Laborie-Brondino, worked tirelessly on the rebuild. When Raymondis saw the finished Range Rover, he mused, “It’s nice to see this Range Rover again. I would have liked to participate in the Dakar Classic, but I’m 78, and health concerns prevent me from doing so.” In his place, Brice would carry on the family tradition, serving as Herve’s co-driver (at 25, he’s the same age as his father when he entered his first Dakar). For Toulousain fans of rallying, the connections fit perfectly.
Brice noted, “We needed to cut down the weight of the Range Rover, so we created molds to recreate the body in fiberglass. Our mechanical preparation included installing larger injectors, the Anderson Overland chip, a performance camshaft, port and polish the manifold and a free-flowing exhaust.” During the competition, Brice would serve as the mechanic for the Range Rover, while relying on a support truck for parts and kit.
Rob Lynch of Anderson Overland Outfitters highlighted the enhancements provided by their custom chip:
- Horsepower gains: 10–15 hp
- Idle Speed: 800 RPM (700 RPM Automatic transmission in gear)
- Idle Stability: Improved with R3652
- Hot Start: Improved with R3652
- Speed Limiter: Removed
- RPM Limit: Fuel tables extended to 6,000 RPM
- Neutral Gear Selection: +100 RPM (Auto & Manual Transmission)
- A/C Idle Increase: Enabled +50 RPM (AC signal dependent)
- Heated Windshield Idle Up: Enabled +50 RPM
- Crank Oil Pressure Delay: Enabled, 1–2 revolutions before start.
- MIL: Enabled, Flash at startup
Herve has always been a Range Rover enthusiast. “The Range Rover has always been my passion,” he said. “I had my first one when I turned 21; I competed in the Atlas Rally twice in one. I wanted to do [my first] Dakar in a Range Rover, but I did not have the budget at the time.” Since moving to the US for most of the year, Herve has owned three different Range Rovers.
Herve calls the Dakar, “the most difficult rally in the world. I know competitors who accept the mental and physical challenges every year. I recognized that I would have to be physically fit and mentally prepared.” Even though the Dakar Classic takes some different routes, “you must still drive for 14 days,” he noted, “and the last three days were really difficult. For the first week, I arrived excited, and by the middle of that week, I felt like I understood and could manage the rhythm of the event. We did have one day to ‘rest,’ which really meant we had to work on maintaining the Range Rover.” The team also suffered from a spate of tire punctures, to the point where they used up all their spares.
For 2025 or beyond, Herve hopes to help foster a US-based team, reflective of his dual nationalities, to compete with his RSO Team in another Range Rover Classic. He has already found the perfect Range Rover to serve as the donor for a build and has started conversations with potential US sponsors. His second Range Rover Classic model is fully equipped and eligible for entry into the Dakar Classic. Herve is working on the possibility of shipping the Range Rover to the US so enthusiasts nationwide can experience it, much like the Oxford Across America tour organized by ROAV’s David Short and Mike McKaig [see Winter 2021 issue -ed.].
“My goal,” Herve said, “is to create a Dakar Classic group within the US Land Rover enthusiast community so as to recognize the important role Range Rovers and Land Rovers have played in the international off-road rally worldwide.”
Just as running the Dakar Classic is not for the faint of heart, neither is it for the faint of wallet. As with athletes who compete in the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, or automotive competitions such as the Rebelle Rally, Baja 1000 or Alcan 5000, securing financial assistance requires a major amount of time and effort on the part of competitors. Every team, including Herve’s, has multiple sponsors to help defray the significant expenses of prepping, kitting out, practicing, and then actually running the event.
The exhilaration Herve described upon his return to the Dakar reminded me of the passion expressed by amateur and professional athletes when they compete on the world stage in their endeavors. Reading the interviews by the other Land Rover entrants [see opposite page] demonstrates the powerful allure of the Dakar Classic [see Spring 2022 issue -ed.]
It doesn’t take long listening to Herve to want to suit up and head for Saudi Arabia. Chris Collard, writing in AutoWeek in 2022, called the Dakar, “one of the most tortuous automotive events ever created. It is brutal on the organizers, the media, the support teams and on those who slip on a bracing bucket for the ride of their life. You hate it, you love it, often in the same moment.”
2024 Dakar Classic Land Rover Teams:
Team: #729
Driver: Lionel Guy
Co-Driver: Johnny Mauduit
Vehicle: Range Rover Classic
Nationality: France
Team #744
Driver: Andrew Graham
Co-Driver: Gavin Neate
Vehicle: Defender 90
Nationality: Great Britain
Team #752
Driver: Georges Garcia
Co-Driver: Francois Beziac
Vehicle: Discovery I
Nationality: France
Team #764
Driver: Maxence Gublin
Co-Driver: Anthony Sousa
Vehicle: Defender 110
Nationality: France
Five thousand miles over 14 days in any Land Rover built before December 31, 1999. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? Time to put together a Team America to step up and unfurl a Land Rover banner!
[For more information on a potential US entry, visit www.freerangeteamusa.com. For more information on the Dakar Rally, visit www.dakar.com and -ed.]