2026 marks the 75th birthday of Porsche Motorsport. While the manufacturer had been founded in 1931, it wasn’t until the ’50s that factory-backed race cars took to the track thanks to those like the recently departed Peter Falk.

Porsche Raceborn Moments, a video series chronicling the company’s racing successes, was created to celebrate the anniversary. “Raceborn” is Porsche’s racing brand name, and was also used for the manufacturer’s 75 Years exhibit at this weekend’s Retro Classics in Stuttgart.

The first episode launched on February 10, following René Metge and Jacky Ickx’s 1–2 at the 1986 Paris–Dakar Rally.

1986 was a dark year for the Paris–Dakar, overshadowed by the death of race founder Thierry Sabine in a helicopter crash. Riders Yasuo Kaneko and Giampaolo Marinoni also died in accidents. While there were thoughts among competitors about halting the rally after Sabine’s passing, the TSO pressed on.

If anything, the only factor that made them ponder stopping was sandstorms that made passage from Mauritania into Senegal dangerous. While Dakar is always brutal no matter the location, the 1986 field was taking a beating.

“We are nervous that our cars won’t finish,” Falk admitted to The Canadian Press. At the time, Metge was leading the overall while Ickx sat in fourth. The two drivers and their other teammate-slash-project manager Roland Kussmaul were racing the new Porsche 959, which featured AWD and a twin-turbo flat-six boxer engine, as well as reinforced chassis and bodywork.

Despite the challenges, Metge managed to hold his lead the rest of the way. Ickx managed to claw his way up to second, while Kussmaul finished sixth.

It was Metge’s third victory and Porsche’s second, the two sides previously claiming the 1984 edition with a 953. His kids Jonathan and Élodie had hoped to race a replica of their dad’s 1986 winner at this year’s Africa Eco Race, but ultimately replaced it with the more affordable Range Rover VSD that he drove to the 1981 win.

The 1986 Paris-Dakar Rally | Porsche Raceborn Moments​ on YouTube

Featured image credit: Porsche