Profile of ALEXANDRE GIROUD - YAMAHA RACING - SMX - DRAG'ON

N°172 Bike YAMAHA RACING - SMX - DRAG'ON

JURAJ VARGA

FRANCISCO MORENO FLORES

ALEXANDRE GIROUD

(fra) 1.77m / 74kg

Hobbies

Running, chevaux, désert

“The objective will be to make it three in a row”

After a run of bad luck in the 2020 and 2021 editions, Alexandre Giroud has finally added the Dakar to his impressive list of achievements, 25 years after his father, Daniel, was the first rider to finish the Dakar on a quad. But Giroud didn't stop there. Building on this performance, he also won the Morocco and Andalusia Rallies to claim the quad rally-raid world champion title, despite his absence from the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the efforts and consistency of his Slovakian rival Juraj Varga. Giroud went into the 2023 edition full of confidence to become only the second rider to win the most prestigious quad rally in two successive years. He injured his shoulder during the rally and had to undergo surgery and rest for several months. As a result, he missed most of the W2RC rounds. He returned for the Morocco Rally and won. The Frenchman has lost none of his superbness; quite the contrary, he is ready and sharp. Even if his rivals are determined to beat him, the Frenchman will aim for a Dakar three-peat, as his compatriot Stéphane Peterhansel did on two wheels.

“The objective will be to make it three in a row. That would be a tremendous feat. Now, we know that once is difficult, twice is enormous, so three times... I finished the Dakar with a sore shoulder that I took care of at the beginning of the year. I've been preparing quite intensely from late July to early August. I won Morocco in October, and then I went to Dubai, where I did a bit of riding. Because of the injury, I wanted to rest to be in good shape for the Dakar. It was a choice. We continued to work with my preparator to make the quad more reliable because that's the aim of the Dakar today. The team is more or less the same. As they say: "You don't change a winning team". We hope that will be the case. The Argentinians will be formidable opponents, particularly Andujar and Moreno, who will be my main rivals. We mustn't underestimate the other participants because in my first Dakar, I was an hour behind the frontrunners, and things are different today. We put everything in place so that the adventure is great, and then, in general, if it is, it's possible that it will end well. It's been working for two years now. I'm a salesman for Crocs. It's my secret weapon: after 12-15 hours wearing motorbike boots, I put on my Crocs at the bivouac, and I'm comfortable!”

Vehicle

YAMAHA RACING - SMX - DRAG'ON

YAMAHA RAPTOR 700
YAMAHA RACING - SMX - DRAG'ON

Mark YAMAHA
Model RAPTOR 700
Performance tuner SMX RACING
Assistance Team Giroud – Yamaha – SMX - Dragon
Class Quad

Ranking 2024

All news of A. Giroud

Dakar 2024: Brabec and Sainz, masters of the dunes

The 46th edition of the Dakar, the 5th to be organised in Saudi Arabia, has finished after more than 4,700 kilometres of specials and a total distance of almost 8,000 kilometres, which tested the riders, drivers, co-pilots and crews, from the ancient city of AlUla to the shores of the Red Sea, passing through the oceans of dunes in the Empty Quarter. The major winners of the 2024...

Dakar 2024 - Stage 11 | All the results

RALLY GP | BRANCH WINS STAGE 11

Ross Branch has achieved the best time at the finish of the special to grab his second stage victory on this edition of the Dakar. The man from Botswana has deprived Ricky Brabec of victory by 32’’, despite the American’s acquisition of 5’45’’ in bonuses. The American has therefore lost the same amount...

Giroud leads the quads after 228 km

After 228 km, Alexandre Giroud has a lead of 35’’ over Manuel Andújar. The Argentinean is still in the lead in the virtual general rankings, with an advantage of 8’16’’ over the Frenchman.

Andújar gains the upper hand

Andújar is striking back following his defeat at Giroud's hands yesterday. The Argentinian leads the Frenchman by 2′39″ at km 91, with Juraj Varga third at 4′12″ and Laisvydas Kancius fourth at 7′06″. The Albiceleste enjoys an 8′52″ margin in the overall. The France-Argentina match could go to penalties!

Alexandre Giroud: “Today was a great stage for me”

Alexandre Giroud won stage nine between Ha’il and Alula and regained 5 minutes on Manuel Andújar in the general rankings. The Frenchman continues to close in and with only six minutes between himself and the Argentinean, he can still believe in his chances of overall victory in Yanbu.

“Today was a great stage...

Dakar 2024 - Stage 9 | All the results

RALLY GP | VICTORY FOR VAN BEVEREN

Adrien Van Beveren has won the special, his 2nd on this edition of the Dakar and the 5th of his career. Honda rider number 42 opened the way for the majority of the route, picking up 5’36’’ in bonuses. Ricky Brabec has finished second, 42’’ behind, with Pablo Quintanilla in third, 4’29’’ behind,...

Giroud gains ground

After 135 km, Alexandre Giroud has increased his lead over Manuel Andújar to 3’55’’. In the virtual general rankings, the Frenchman now has a lead of over 7’31’’ over the Argentinean!