A quarter of a century after Thierry Sabine organised the first event, the Dakar has not only survived, it is thriving.

The higher profile brought about by the attention of the world's media and big spending vehicle manufacturers have produced a stronger organisation which has evolved and grown organically from within.

Many of the main organisation roles have been filled by successful competitors from the past. Men like Hubert Auriol and Patrick Zaniroli are now returning some of their experience to the sport.

Now you can read about the exploits of competitors, from the one-man privateers through the field to the full factory teams and organisers, in this book with a foreword by Ari Vatanen.

The book is written by an English husband and wife team, and published in the UK by Dinefwr Publishers Ltd. It's available from Amazon [www.amazon.co.uk].