Like father, like son

Dakar 2025 | Stage 6 | HAIL > AL DUWADIMI
January 11 ^th 2025 - 22:35 [GMT + 3]

Maxime Pouponnot is racing in his first Dakar, a quarter century after his father. The rider from Deux-Sèvres, France, had a torrid start to the second week.

The sun had long since set when the headlight of Fantic number 79 pierced through the night in Al Duwadimi, nearing the finish of the sixth special. In a jumble of two- and four-wheeled vehicles, the desert was spitting out competitors one by one as they finished this marathon day of over 800 km. Relieved to see him appear, Laurent Pouponnot warmly congratulated his son after he collected the sticker confirming his passage through the final time check.

"You did the job, that's good", he told him. "And tomorrow will go just as well. Franco Picco will make sure you head out with a fresh bike." Maxime seemed doubtful. Covered in oil and sand, the rider from Niort said he had "been through hell" during the final 100 kilometres of the special. He recounted: "When I left the neutralisation at 4 pm, I knew it would be tricky to avoid the nighttime racing I was dreading. Then after 50 km, I blew my oil radiator. I tried to patch the leak with some two-part compound I had with me, but it didn't work. I had to bypass it to keep going, and I lost three hours."

As if that wasn't enough, his electronic tablet packed up shortly after. "I never thought I'd see the day when trucks would overtake me. I'll admit I was running on fumes, I'd lost all hope... Thankfully there was this little voice telling me I had to keep pushing forward."

Hearing his son's tale, Laurent Pouponnot doubled down on his praise and encouragement. "Well done, plenty would have thrown in the towel or waited for the engine to blow", he said. "You knew what needed to be done. Well, there you have it. You wanted to do the Dakar, now you see what it's really about."

For the Pouponnots, motorcycling is a family passion. A dealership owner in Niort, Laurent competed in two Dakars, 27 and 25 years ago. So naturally, one of his sons had to catch the bug and want to write the next chapter. "Maxime has blown me away because he sorted everything out himself to be here", his father breathed. "When you see the budget needed, I'm proud to see him here."

Close to Éric Aubijoux, who lost his life in the rally in 2007, Laurent Pouponnot knows all too well the dangers of this event. Hence, every stage finish brings him relief. "Of course, the fear is always there", he admits. "I know what this race demands and I can tell you it's moving to see my son taking part. I'm sure Éric is watching over him from above."