Guy Albaret, a French trial and enduro champion who was one of the early riders of the Dakar Rally, has passed away. Gilles Burgat, a teammate of Albaret at the 1980 Dakar, broke the news on Friday.

“Great guy and great rider,” Burgat commented.

Albaret starred in France’s national trial series, finishing runner-up in the 1975 standings on an Ossa MAR, before switching to enduro. He teamed up with future Dakar champion Gilles Lalay at SWM and KTM, going on to tie with Jean Paul Charles for the 1983 French national four-stroke title.

In 1979, he entered the inaugural Paris–Dakar Rally on a Yamaha XT500 from Challenge 94, a dealership run by Alain Bard. After finishing 21st in that edition, he improved to ninth in 1980.

After skipping 1981, Albaret returned with a breakthrough fourth-place run in 1982. With his successes in enduro, KTM offered him a factory-backed 560 GS with an engine from the United States. However, his race ended in Djanet in Stage 9.

He was also an organizer for the Trèfle Lozérien motorcycle club.

Featured image credit: François Beau