Gérard Bourgoin, a longtime soccer president and entrepreneur who raced the Dakar Rally in the early 1990s, died Sunday at the age of 85.

Bourgoin was the vice president and eventually president of French soccer team AJ Auxerre, the reigning champion of Ligue 2. He was also the president of the league’s sanctioning body Ligue de Football Professionnel from 2000 to 2002.

The Chailley native had been driving home from Auxerre’s 1–0 loss to Strasbourg on Sunday when he reportedly suffered a medical emergency.

“He was the one who told me the story of AJ Auxerre and how this club was different from the others,” said team owner James Zhou. “He spoke to me with such passion that I could see in his eyes his infinite love for AJA. He was a great figure in French football.”

In 1992, Bourgoin made his debut in the Paris–Cape Town Rally, driving a buggy built by Jean-Louis Schlesser with his close friend Paul Séguin as navigator. The duo finished 56th overall and tops for two-wheel drive cars.

Ahead of the 1993 Paris–Dakar, he and his team upgraded the buggy by lengthening it to 4.3 meters, removing the torsion bars, redesigning the front suspension, and making the cockpit larger. Bourgoin also swapped out the Porsche engine for a 2.5-liter turbo diesel model from a Renault Safrane; while the Safrane had yet to be released at the time of the buggy’s development, Bourgoin and Renault thought using it would help the average person relate to the team. Building the car took about three weeks.

“I thought we should do something that would be more in line with our current priorities in France like the economy and the car for an everyday man. Thus, I chose the Safrane diesel engine,” Bourgoin explained prior to the race. “It’s a big bet, but Renault didn’t say no. In fact, they sent me some very talented men to give me a hand with installing it.”

With William Alcaraz, Bourgoin improved upon his previous overall finish with a 34th.

The Proto Bourgoin, as it became known after the redesign, was a Dakar mainstay throughout the 90s with multiple drivers. Its iconic pink and blue livery came about due to a sponsorship with DUC Z, and would also appear on other vehicles like 1993 truck winner Franchesco Perlini’s 105F. The Proto is also one of the vehicles allowed to compete at the Dakar Classic.

Gérard Bourgoin: July 6, 1939 – March 2, 2025

Featured image credit: Tokyo Eizo, Auto Hebdo #863 (January 1993)