VIDEO: The history of the Paris Dakar Rally from 1979 to 1997

Held each year since 1978, the Dakar Rally is an event like no other. With sections containing treacherous rocks, vast open deserts and hundreds upon hundreds of kilometres of untamed wilderness, the Dakar Rally pushes the best drivers and riders to their limits as they use everything from nimble motorcycles to big rig trucks to cross the expanse. Sounds awesome, right?

Well, for the uninitiated, we’ve just stumbled across this brilliant feature length documentary, charting the formative years of the iconic endurance rally. Check it out below!

This documentary covers both the two and four wheeled entries from the first event in 1979 to the 1997 running of the rally. The first few rallies were a far cry from the modern event – little more than amateur races across some of the most inhospitable environment on earth, with very little in the way of support crews or outside help. The early races were from Paris to Dakar in Senegal, however the threat of terrorism and civil unrest in Mauritania have forced the race to move to South America, where it’s likely to remain for the foreseeable future.

For more information on the infamous Dakar, click HERE.