Kit Palmer | February 12, 2023
Cycle News Archives
COLUMN
America’s Dakar Pioneer
In 1985, a relatively unknown local desert racer from California became the first American to finish (and start) the Paris to Dakar Rally, better known today simply as Dakar and now held exclusively in the Saudi Arabian desert. Chuck Stearns cut his racing teeth in the Southern California desert and Baja, trying to win SCORE events, like the 500 and 1000. He impressed legendary desert racer and Baja Champion Scot Harden when they first crossed paths.
“He was one of the nicest, most sincere and dedicated young desert racers I have ever met,” says Harden. “I first met him in 1982 at the Parker 400. We were pre-running, and I was at the crossover pit on the Arizona loop refueling my bike when this young kid walked up and introduced himself. He was extremely polite, and you could tell he was bitten hard by the desert-racing dream. He wanted my advice on how to become a factory desert racer. After I finally got him to stop calling me ‘Mr. Harden,’ I gave him what advice I could in the time available but promised to stay in touch and help wherever I could. Over the next couple of years, he rose through the ranks and became one of the top 250cc desert racers in California.”
But Stearns had bigger ambitions than racing in the California desert. He wanted to tackle the Paris to Dakar Rally, which, at the time, wasn’t on too many American off-road racer’s radars, mainly because the race was not even 10 years old yet. But those who did know about it knew it was something extraordinary (and dangerous), and Stearns knew he wanted to do it. But how? It’s not like you just load up your van, drive to France, and sign up to race the Paris to Dakar Rally.
“Somehow he got hooked up with Yamaha France and [top Dakar racer] Jean Claude Olivier,” says Harden. “He was hired to ride as Jean Claude’s and [Yamaha teammate] Franco Picco’s water boy at the 1985 Paris to Dakar. Fortunately for Chuck, Jean Claude and Franco had an uneventful ride finishing second and third overall behind Gaston Rahier, and Chuck was able to follow them across the line in sixth overall, winning several stages along the way.”
Stearns rode a modified Yamaha TT600 in the 22-day race.
“Back then no one except a small handful of us even heard about Dakar,” says Harden. “I knew it was a pretty big deal and was happy for him.”
So was Cycle News. My assignment was to track Stearns down and interview him about his experiences in the race. I remember he was happy to oblige, excited about his accomplishment, and had plans to go back to Europe for more races. In my interview, I let Stearns do all the talking.
“The rally itself started right at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France,” he said in the interview. “[We] headed down paved roads to the Mediterranean—about 684 miles. It was a long haul. Then we loaded up our bikes on a boat and headed to Algeria, where we all spent the night in a hotel.”
It didn’t take long for Stearns to catch on to this new-to-him rally stuff. He won the third stage. His desert-racing experience paid off here. “The third special test section was 325 miles through very, very fast desert—I won it by half an hour,” he said.
Later in the interview, he talked about the scariest part of the rally. “The most difficult section of the rally was through the Mietia Desert—there has never been a road cut through there, and that was scary. Everybody got together and rode through there together, but I went by myself because I wanted to make up time—it was kind of like crossing hell. It was rocky, absolutely no vegetation, and it reminded me of Death Valley [in California]. There were parts where the sand dunes were so soft it would bury my bike up to the engine cases and cover the front disc brake.
“This was the day I had the most problems, I would hit sand dunes that would swallow my bike five, six or seven times in one day. I would have to get off my bike and pull it out by the front wheel all by myself—it was very tiring. It was pretty hot, too; about 90°. That day lost 35 bikes and a lot of cars, too.”
Although Stearns had a mechanic that followed him in a four-wheel vehicle on the racecourse, he still had to fill up his bike with fuel every night and leave a note on the bike if anything needed fixing. After that, it was getting food and preparing for the next day.
“Immediately after I ate, I would go to some private place and pull out my roll book and my papers that I roll on my roll chart and translate the French roll book into English. I can understand French, but I rewrote it in my roll chart in English so I can read it faster. It would take an hour to an hour-and-a-half to do the translation.”
The safety of the competitors was a priority like it is today, but the technology back then was a little different when it came to protecting the racers. “I carry a backpack that contains certain mandatory items,” Stearns said. “One of them is a walkie-talkie that you use when you get lost. If you pull this cord on the walkie-talkie, it turns on a silent beep that they pick up in the helicopter. You are only allowed to use it if you are very, very lost, and if you do use it, you are out of the race automatically. Plus, you have to carry with you a day/night signal flare, an energy lantern, a small first-aid kit, a mirror, and two metallic blankets to break the wind. I also carry a little water.”
Finally, after 22 straight days, the race was over and Stearns had just become America’s first Dakar finisher.
“At the finish, I had an excellent feeling within me—a feeling of accomplishment,” he said. “Many people thought that I couldn’t and wouldn’t do it. Being the first American and the only one really made me feel good. The only real feeling of disappointment came during the last 10 days. I picked up three hours on the leader, and I won the most special test sections, so I was a little disappointed I didn’t win and that I didn’t do a little better. I wanted first place real bad. Shortly thereafter, I felt really good that I made it—really good.
“I think riding Paris to Dakar is the ultimate off-road experience,” he said. “I want to do it again.”
“Many people thought that I couldn’t and wouldn’t do it. Being the first American and the only one really made me feel good.” —Chuck Stearns
Unfortunately, Stearns never got the chance. He died just seventh months after our interview. We reported in Cycle News that he had succumbed to leukemia on October 6, 1985, in Newhall, California, at the age of 25. It was, however, later revealed he had contracted HIV following a blood transfusion (after having crashed his motorcycle) in 1983.
Harden once wrote of Chuck Stearns several years ago: “[Chuck’s] amazing achievement went mostly unnoticed in the U.S. but represents a milestone for America even if no one knew about it or cared at the time. America not only lost its first potential Dakar champion but a great young man, a true gentleman and sportsman.” CN