Jean-Michel Sinet, who indirectly kickstarted the world’s most iconic rally raid when he rescued Thierry Sabine from the Ténéré desert, died Wednesday. He was 79 years old.

In 1977, Sabine was competing in the Abidjan–Nice Rally on a bike when he got lost in the desert. He was stuck on his own for three days before Sinet, despite the difficulties in finding him in a time before GPS and proper competitive tracking, came to save him with his plane. According to legend, Sinet told Sabine, “From today, everything you experience is extra!”

Inspired by his experiences, Sabine created the Paris–Dakar in 1978 with the inaugural edition a year later. He also encouraged Sinet to join the organization.

Sinet would eventually organize rally raids of his own like the Rallye de l’Amitié and Shamrock Rally. The latter was eventually merged to form the Rallye du Maroc, currently a World Rally-Raid Championship round like the Dakar.

On the flying side, he worked as an airline pilot before getting into business aviation.

He was also a politician who worked as a city councilor for Crépy-en-Valois for over three decades. Describing himself as a “right-wing centrist”, he had aspirations of running for mayor.

“I extend my condolences and thoughts to his family,” said French parliament member Pierre Vatin. “I appreciated Jean-Michel Sinet’s character and his tireless energy. Always an idea or a project in mind!”

Jean-Michel Sinet: June 20, 1945 – April 30, 2025

Featured image credit: Jean-Michel Sinet