Bernadette Sacy, one of the early successful women at the Paris–Dakar Rally and a veteran of both rallying and rally raids, died at the age of 74. Reports indicated she passed suddenly on Monday night.

Sacy came from a racing pedigree, though her father discouraged her from the sport since he felt it was inappropriate for girls. Still, she pressed on with starting a career.

After competing in rallies around France in 1972 and 1973, Sacy took part in circuit racing like the Trophée Leyland for the next five years. She eventually returned to rallying in 1978 in the French national championship, racing a Fiat 127.

In 1981, fellow Trophée Leyland and actress Monique Delannoy invited her to try the Dakar Rally together. Christine “Kiki” Caron, who won the 1964 Summer Olympic silver medal in 100-meter backstroke, and her husband Jean-Claude Lagniez sponsored their Mercedes-Benz 240GD.

In a 2007 interview with Dakar d’antan, Sacy recalled her and Delannoy’s luggage got stolen overnight on the first day of the race. They had to borrow clothes until they got a new suitcase from back home in France. Despite everything, they managed to finish 25th and win the diesel subclass as well as the Ladies Trophy as the top team of women. The Mercedes was eventually bought back by her father as a personal vehicle.

Sacy teamed up with Caron for the 1982 and 1983 Dakars, racing a Range Rover V8 in both. They finished 35th in the ’82 race, then bowed out the following year when they and multiple cars got lost in the Ténéré due to a massive sandstorm. Sacy and Caron walked in the Aïr Mountains for three-and-a-half days until Tuaregs came to the rescue and got them back to Agadez.

While that was Sacy’s last Dakar, she continued rally raids in her Range Rover, doing races like the Rallye des Pharaons and Atlas Rally until 1993. She also raced the Andros Trophy in 1993 and 1994 before becoming a raid organizer.

Her husband Jacques Panciatici was a French Rally Championship regular, while her son Nelson currently races GT cars.

Bernadette Sacy: January 24, 1953 – February 23, 2026