Jeffrey AronsonThe Dakar Classic celebrates the vehicles that competed in the Dakar back in their day. Range Rover Classics from the ‘80s routinely drew attention for their capabilities of speed, rugged design and off-road prowess, and they were back again this year. Land Rover 110’s and Defenders did not complete very effectively in period, but they often provided critical support services for teams, and given their decades of production, remain eligible entries.
Land Rover Entries:
- 1st – Ovoko Racing: Karolis Raišys, Christophe Marquès, LR 109 Stage One V8
- 30th – 2 Rover Rallye Raid Team: Hervé Solandt, Laurent Milbergue, Range Rover Classic
- 43rd – Bolides Racing Team: Maxence Gublin, Anthony Sousa, Defender 110
- 71st – Team DB ViO: Gabriel Valentin, Brice Laborie-Bondino, Range Rover Classic
- 83rd – Gazelles Off-Road Team: Helen Tait Wright, Marcella Kirk, LR 110
- DNF – Rover Rallye Raid Team: Gérard Matiussi, Serge Dumas, RRC
- DNF – Team Elite: Stephan Lamarre, Alexandre Laroche, Bowler Wildcat
This year’s competition featured over 4,300 miles of driving over 14 days in January, including TSD [Time-Speed-Distance] navigation and dune-crossing sections. Teams could choose to compete in one or all of the sections.
Once again, the Land Rover Stage One team of Karolis Raišys and Christophe Marquès took first place this year. Karolis graced us with an interview last year [See Spring 2025 issue -ed.] but this year, he had no time because he was busy driving his ’61 Jaguar MK II 3.8
Saloon to a 7th place finish in the Monte Carlo Historic Rally.
We contacted Hervé Solandt [Team #732] and Helen Tait Wright [Team #737] for their impressions of the event.
Rover Rallye Raid Team
Hervé Solandt first entered the world of rallying in 1985, but the needs of his businesses pulled him away until 2024, when he first entered an ’86 Range Rover. Hervé noted, “All of us on our Rover Rallye Raid Team share the same passion for the Range Rover Classic for the same reasons: It’s the vehicle that made us dream when we were young. That’s why we entered two Range Rover Classics this year.”
“I’ve competed in the Dakar Classic several times now. I wanted to enjoy myself this year, but the challenges the organizers created for this year were greater than in past years. Our Range Rover Classic did quite well, finishing within the top 13 vehicles in some stages. I’m quite pleased with our finish and looking forward to next year already!”
The second Range Rover Classic, driven by Defender owner Gerard Matiussi, comes from the same region of Toulouse, France as Hervé; they’ve been friends since childhood. Herve convinced Gerard, an avid rally participant in his Renault 8 Gordini, to bring his skills behind the wheel of Herve’s former Range Rover Classic. His navigator, Serge Dumas, has been a friend for 20 years, with extensive professional experience in the aeronautical sector. Both competitors are in their 60s, a time in life “to fulfill our biggest dreams.”
Gazelles Off-Road Team
We first met Helen Tait Wright when she ran a Defender 110 at the Rallye des Gazelles in Morocco. She said, “the Dakar is a mythical event if you are a petrol head, the biggest challenge of them all, the one that makes you dream. It was always for other people until they introduced the Classic category, then it became a possibility.”
The ex-pat now lives in France, where she paired up with equestrian Marcella Kirk, a friend of 21 years (“who is more interested in horses than horsepower”). Helen continued, “Although Marcella and I have done desert endurance rallies before, nothing could quite prepare us for Dakar! She is the only one I would have tackled the Dakar with.” The demands on team unity get strained by rally departures as early as 3:00 am, and the din and constant light from the mechanics’ tents at the bivouac. “There was little time for sleep and even less for self-care,” Helen noted.
“Entering the Dakar Classic required building up an essentially new Defender 110 to conform to FIA standards. We found ‘Purdey,’ a ’98 Defender 110 three-door, on Ebay. It sits on a new Marsland chassis. As Land Rovers are built for tough use, we used as many Genuine Land Rover parts as possible. Purdey came to us without an engine, and the event rules give some flexibility, so we sourced a Td5. We had to cope with electrical problems because of that decision, but we made it work. Safety Devices built an FIA-homologated cage for us, and of course, we had to use FIA-approved seats and harnesses.”
“Few people expected us to make it to the end. But we never doubted that as long as Purdey held together, we could do it. We built the Defender, we took her to Dakar and we finished. We have made history [as the first all-female British team, -ed.], but more importantly the ‘Helen & Marcella Adventure’ was awesome. As someone commented, ‘We had the dream,
we dared to make it happen, and we have lived the adventure!!’”