It took twenty-seven years before France and Europe were once again plunged into the darkness of a total solar eclipse. What was happening in motorsport in 1999?
Almost 27 years to the day after the last recorded solar eclipse, the whole of Europe was briefly plunged into darkness on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. Since August 11, 1999, this phenomenon had not been observed and should not be observed again, in this form, until… September 03, 2081. While it is difficult for us to project ourselves that far ahead, let’s go back a few years, to the time of the previous episode, to recall some memories.
Michael Schumacher convalescing
One month earlier, on July 11, 1999, Formula 1 held its eighth Grand Prix of the season at Silverstone. Having secured two victories at Imola and Monaco, the man who would later be nicknamed the Red Baron was enjoying a decent campaign, allowing him, at this stage of the competition, to maintain a strong chance of winning his first title with Ferrari . But on the first lap of the race, disaster struck: his Ferrari F399 No. 3 went straight on at Stowe, and the German driver broke his right leg. Unavailable until the Malaysian Grand Prix, which he would go on to win upon his return, he was replaced by the Finn Mika Salo, who would shine at the wheel of his new car, notably achieving two podium finishes in Germany and Italy.
Sébastien Loeb on his way to his first title
In 1999, Sébastien Loeb made a remarkable comeback. Rescued by his sponsors a year earlier, the Alsatian driver was miraculously able to continue his motorsport debut in the Citroën Trophy. Driving a Saxo Kit Car, as required by the competition’s regulations, Loeb and Daniel Elena racked up three victories in the summer of 1999: the Val d’Agout Rally , the Mâcon Wines Rally, and the Rouergue Rally. His third-place finish at the Limousin Rally and his fourth-place finish at the Sainte-Baume Rally at the start of the season put him in a strong position to challenge for the title at the end of the season. Behind the scenes, Citroën Sport was preparing the next stage of its project: its entry into the WRC in the following decade. The rest, as they say, is history…
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Philippe Bugalski sows terror in the World Cup
But before Citroën launched its Xsara WRC, its first steps in the World Rally Championship were taken in the two-wheel-drive Xsara Kit Car. At the same time, its sister brand Peugeot was preparing its entry into the top category with the 206 WRC, but at PSA, they were sweating bullets when Philippe Bugalski and Coco Chiaroni won two events in quick succession, first in Catalonia and then at the Tour de Course, right under the noses of all the four-wheel-drive WRC cars! More agile on its favorite playground of dry tarmac, the little double-chevron hot hatch was simply untouchable. Too much so, perhaps, for the “big manufacturers,” who managed to reduce its performance so that the true WRC cars could reign supreme.
Fourth victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Yannick Dalmas
While BMW seems to have finally found the right formula under the Hypercar regulations this season, with two victories at Spa-Francorchamps (and even a one-two finish in Belgium) and Sao Paulo, it’s worth remembering that the Bavarian manufacturer has already triumphed at the Le Mans classic. That was, in fact, in 1999. A year earlier, BMW had entered the race with the BMW V12 LM, an experience marked by two retirements after only four hours of racing.
But the evolution of this car, the V12 LMR, was of a completely different nature. To bring it to fruition, Joachim Winkelhock, Pierluigi Martini, and Yannick Dalmas were chosen. They won the 1999 edition, and the French driver thus joined Henri Pescarolo in the record books. 24 Hours of Le Mans with 4 victories. To this day, they remain the two most successful French drivers in Sarthe.
Dakar in ambush
It was, of course, a little earlier in 1999, but this 21st edition of the Dakar Rally has become legendary. Won by Jean-Louis Schlesser and Philippe Monet in the Cars category and by Richard Sainct in the Motorcycles category, it was notably marked by a bizarre incident on January 13th in Mauritania. A commando of about twenty armed men stopped a motorcycle, three quads, twelve cars, and seven trucks, according to official figures, and drained them of their fuel before leaving several hours later with four cars, three trucks, and a motorcycle. In addition, the competitors, members of the organization, and journalists present were completely robbed of their documents and money. A bizarre story that, however, had no impact on the sporting progress of the stage.
