Today is the 24th anniversary of the first stage win by an American competitor in the Dakar. In 1985, Chuck Stearns, a top desert racer from California and a member of the famed Checkers Motorcycle Club, won the 4th stage of the Paris-Dakar Rally riding a Team Gauloises Yamaha motorcycle. Chuck won 4 of the first 10 stages, had some problems in the latter half of the race, but came back strong at the end winning two of the final three stages to finish 6th overall.

His performance is made more impressive by the fact that the 1985 Paris-Algiers-Dakar (as it was called that year) was the second longest and one of the most grueling in the history of the event: 14,000 kilometers (8,699 miles) that included over 4,600 miles of timed specials. Only 25 of the 132 bikes and 101 of the 362 cars that took the start in Paris reached the finish.

Chuck’s 6 stage wins are the most by any American competitor in any category of the Dakar and tied for third for most stage wins in a single Dakar event in the motorcycle category and fourth most in all categories. Ten years would pass before another American would win a stage when motocross champion Danny LaPorte won the 2nd stage in the 1995 Dakar and 20 years before Robby would record the first stage win by an American driver in the car category.

In his first and only Dakar, Stearns proved that a virtually unknown desert racer from the States could beat Europe’s best at their own game. Sadly, Chuck Stearns died of leukemia later that year.

Today as you read, post and watch the videos, perhaps with your favorite beverage nearby, give Chuck a long overdue toast.