“Laurent was the driving force that kept my spirits up”

It was a sad year for the world of rally-raid and for driver Akira Miura. When the Japanese will be on the start line of the 2024 Dakar, he’ll certainly have a thought for his regretted co-driver Laurent Lichtleuchter who was tragically killed during a rally in Morocco back in april. Both men had been instrumental in the triumphs of the Toyota Auto Body team in the T2 class (winners together in 2018, 2021 and 2022). The road goes on for Akira Miura who started as a co-driver, first with Jun Mitsuhashi back in 2007, then with Frenchman Nicolas Gibon. He then perfectly adapted to the steering wheel as an official Toyota Auto Body driver in 2016. Beaten by his team mate Ronald Basso on the last edition, the 40-year-old will want to reclaim the title in his Land Cruiser 300. A new chapter opens for the Japanese who will this year be battling it out alongside another Frenchman, Mayeul Barbet who has a strong experience as a navigator having competed in five editions of the world’s toughest rally.

A.M.: “Dakar 2023 was quite a competition that I lost, but I'm glad to have made it to the finish line safely! I couldn’t say that I was happy. I felt the harshness and difficulty of the sport, where time spent can be undone by a momentary hesitation or a mistake. After a terrible first stage, Laurent Lichtleuchter, who as usual navigated the rally to the best of his ability, was the driving force that kept my spirits up. In April, I lost a very dear brotherly friend and I still can’t believe it. I first met him when we were both co-drivers. We were chatting about the possibility of competing on the same team someday! It seems like only yesterday. We spent a lot of time together, and I remember a lot of the things we talked about over the past 8 years, some of which I still want to accomplish in the future. The truth is that I feel so much sadness. However, I will continue to do my best so that people will not laugh at me. I will continue to compete as hard as I can so as not to be laughed at. The reliability of the car has improved dramatically, and I can step on the accelerator pedal with confidence.”