The Amaury Sport Organisation closed down its workshop in Lovuiers, which had been used to build and service the organizers’ vehicles for the Dakar Rally for over 40 years.

The building was located on Place des Anciens Combattants d’Indochine (Indochina Veterans Square) in Louviers, Normandy. Since the ASO operates multiple other events such as the Tour de France and Paris Marathon, it operates multiple logistical hubs in places like Boulogne-Billancourt, Bondoufle, and Évry-Courcouronnes as well as outside France in Frankfurt, London, and Madrid.

However, the Louviers building’s value to the Dakar predates the ASO’s takeover in 1989 and was previously run by Thierry Sabine’s TSO.

The vehicles prepped at the workshop included cars for media and organizers to drive and follow the race, as well as assistance and recovery trucks like the Balai and Tango. Although the ASO built their own, they were also sourced from other companies and teams like Tomáš Tomeček’s Tom Racing and Les Transports Charbonnier.

Les Transports Charbonnier, being a fellow French company, will assume the workshop’s responsibilities. Founded in 2006 by the Charbonnier family, the firm started out by helping competitors at the TransAfricaine Classic. Yannis Charbonnier then drove a support truck for Peugeot at the Silk Way Rally and Dakr before joining the ASO in 2018. Yannis, Jean-Marc, and Christian Charbonnier currently oversee the business.

Featured image credit: Google Earth