Mr. Dakar

As a teenage skateboard champion, Stéphane Peterhansel was already dazzled by the images of the Dakar in the 1980s. At the time, Cyril Neveu and Hubert Auriol were swallowing up the Saharan dunes. But he never imagined that 40 years later, he would have amassed 14 titles and embarked on an extremely demanding technological challenge. His talent and precociousness led him to an ultra-fast learning curve in rally-raid, winning his first Dakar in 1991. The rider with the blue bandana won six titles in eight years aboard a Yamaha. The qualities he had developed on a motorbike were quickly put to good use when he switched to cars: 7th on his first go in 1999, he finished runner-up the following year. In 2004, "Peter" joined Hubert Auriol as the second rider in Dakar history to win on two and four wheels. The continuation of the "Mitsu" saga resulted in triumphs in 2005 and 2007. After the withdrawal of the Japanese constructor, Peterhansel joined X-Raid, but it wasn't until 2012 that he won his 10th title. Not satisfied, 'Mr. Dakar' followed up with another victory in 2013. A new challenge came in 2015 with the return of Peugeot to the Dakar, and in 2016, "Peter" made the lion roar for the first time since Ari Vatanen's success with the 405. The series continued with the 3008 to go for a 13th title after an intense final duel with team-mate Sébastien Loeb. In January 2021, he became the only competitor to have won in Africa, South America and now Asia. The collection could have prompted the fastest veteran on the planet to retire. But Audi offered him one of the most attractive challenges of his career: to participate in the design and development of the first electric vehicle capable of winning the Dakar. For its competition debut, the RS Q e-tron proved just how competitive it is, winning four stages, including one for 'Peter' who increased his career total to 82, even though he finished light years from his expectations (59th). After a year spent developing the Audi prototype, Peterhansel will, as was the case on the last two editions, be accompanied by Edouard Boulanger, who had the pleasure of winning his first Dakar as an elite co-driver. He was previously the "mapman" for KTM and Toyota. The duo and the car are once again ready to reach the top.

S.P.: “Last January, we saw that we had great potential. From this point forward, the objective is victory, to become the first to win in a car with electric motors. We have done a good job, and I believe the car can win, but we know the Dakar is never easy. You can have the best car, but if the driver and co-driver are not in peak form throughout the rally, it will not be a success. In any case, the car has progressed in the right direction, and we have tried to make everything more reliable”.