Marc Joineau will have a very familiar number on his Kove 450 Rally when he returns to the Africa Eco Race later this year. #59 was one of the few available numbers left for him, which he gleefully took as it was the same one he used in the 1982 Paris–Dakar Rally, a race where he nearly pulled off one of the great upsets.

“There were a handful of numbers left, including 59, so I chose it,” he commented. “It was perhaps the best number I could have had for that Paris–Dakar.”

1982 was Joineau’s third Dakar after making his debut in 1980. His 1981 race didn’t go as planned as he was forced to retire after scoring a top ten the year before, so he was keen on making it back to the Senegalese capital in ’82.

He took part on a Suzuki DR 500 with sponsorship from Dijon Moto. Compared to the big guys like Cyril Neveu, Joineau was a privateer with no factory support.

Even then, he was very fast. Despite a slow start and eventually losing his younger brother Philippe to a DNF, he quickly climbed through the order. He caught up to Jean-Paul Mingels, who then crashed out which made Joineau the new overall leader. With just a week to go and half an hour on Neveu, hopes were sky high.

That is, until Stage 13 happened. Running from Timbuktu to Niono, the leg was going smoothly for Joineau until he stopped at the petrol truck to fuel up. As it turned out, the gas in the tanker was actually a “magic potion” mix of oil and kerosene, destroying his bike’s engine ten kilometers later.

Neveu would go on to win while Joineau had to settle for 17th.

“The factories breathed a sigh of relief. They were going to win and not lose face against a true privateer,” Joineau quipped.

For the AER, he will compete as Team DAK’CAR alongside Noa Sainct and Bruno-Felix Derossi. His friend Pascal Golmard will also tag along with a bus covered in a Paris–Dakar-style livery that will serve as their command center. Joineau also plans to bring his old Suzuki France tent to sleep in.

Featured image credit: via Marc Joineau