History 1980s

1983 Rallye Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

Overview Route Results Cars Challenges

Overview

Event Name: 1983 Rallye Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

Date: November, 1983

Start Location: Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Finish Location: Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Total Distance: ~4,500 km

Surface: Gravel

Held as a round of the Drivers’ Championship only, the 1983 Rallye Côte d’Ivoire was a brutal marathon through the West African wilderness. With high attrition, scorching heat, deep ruts, and long liaison sections, it demanded mechanical sympathy, strategic pacing, and near-superhuman endurance from both drivers and navigators. Shekhar Mehta’s mastery of African endurance events once again led to a triumphant finish in the rugged Nissan 240RS.

Route

Yamoussoukro and Bouaké: Long, straight laterite roads with deep dust and visibility issues.
Man and Daloa regions: Forested routes with twisting paths, soft red earth, and high humidity.
Overnight stages: Extended night sections through isolated regions with minimal light and zero support.

The route crisscrossed the vast Ivorian interior, presenting an unforgiving variety of challenges:

Crews often drove for 15–20 hours at a time, rotating maintenance and rest with whatever roadside support they could arrange.

🏆 Results

Overall Winner
Shekhar Mehta & Lofty Drews · Nissan 240RS
2nd Place
Alain Ambrosino & Jean-Claude Brierre · Nissan 240RS
3rd Place
Patrick Tauziac & Claude Papin · Mitsubishi Lancer Turbo

Mehta’s experience and composure paid off, as many factory-backed entrants failed to finish. His fifth Côte d’Ivoire win confirmed his status as a master of African rallying.

Navigation & Challenges

  • Extreme Fatigue: Days without proper sleep challenged concentration and reaction time.
  • Mechanical Attrition: The heat, dust, and endless ruts destroyed suspensions and cooling systems.
  • Route Complexity: Navigation relied on road books and compass bearings, with frequent reroutes due to road conditions.

The 1983 Côte d’Ivoire Rally was not about speed, but survival—Mehta and Drews proved once again that experience, endurance, and preparation triumph in Africa.

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