The Dakar according to professor Casteu

Dakar 2026 | Stage 8 | WADI AD DAWASIR > WADI AD DAWASIR
January 12 ^th 2026 - 22:31 [GMT + 3]

After more than twenty years on the Dakar, David Casteu is discovering a new role on his first participation in a car. This year, he is acting as a Saint-Bernard of the sands for the two crews that he has trained, manages and provides assistance to during the specials, if possible all the way to Yanbu.

David Casteu has graced the Dakar with his smile since the 2003 edition, when he began as a simple amateur. In his participations as a biker, he experienced it all, from hardships through injuries to the thrill of stage victories (3 in total), from the life of a professional rider to the honours of a podium finish (2nd in 2007) and even a wasp sting that disfigured him but which did not stop him from finishing 4th on the first South American edition in 2009! Since the Dakar 2016, he has hung up his biker’s boots and gloves to look after other competitors as a team manager for Sherco and now exclusively for his own organisation, the Team Casteu Trophy. Indeed, it was in a quest to be as credible as possible for his clients, as well as to celebrate his 50th birthday, that last year he climbed back onto a KTM and finished 54th: “The Dakar has changed: the navigation, the tablets, the routes… I’ve had my fair taste of rocks and sand and I loved it but I promised my children, my grandchildren and my wife that it was time to stop riding a bike. However, why not in an SSV? By providing rapid assistance, I bring added value to my team. It’s virtually indispensable”.

If the man from Nice is competing in the SSV race on the tracks of Saudi Arabia this year, it is not only due to the comfort provided by the four-wheeled vehicle that carries him throughout the day alongside his navigator François Bonnet. Once again, it is the love of a job well done that guides his choice: “He’s our saviour,” declares Adrien Choblet. “If he wasn’t there, it would already have been over a long time ago”. The task he has set himself was bound to hold surprises in store but since the start in Yanbu, his young protégés have not spared him. In fact, the mishaps started even earlier than he had imagined: “To be honest, without my intervention, the Dakar would have been over for Adrien after day two and for Cliff (Zingraf) the day after. Since then, there hasn’t been any respite. Two days ago, we had one hour left before nightfall to finish the special but not even two kilometres further, we came across Adrien who had broken a gimbal. We finished the special in the dunes by night!”

David is always willing to lend a hand. It is even in his nature to devote himself to others. However, in this case, his sacrifice could well be detrimental to the interests of both crews. Having used up both his wild cards by giving parts to his protégés to get them back on track, the boss has no more resources left and faces the threat of a definitive premature exit from the rally in case of a serious problem. For the five forthcoming stages, his not always obedient pupils had better behave themselves: “We’re still here and all three cars crossed the finishing line together today, but with them, anything can happen, right up until the last ten kilometres, perhaps even when climbing onto the podium. The Dakar is far from finished!”