“I fulfilled a dream”
En bref
- Abdulaziz is the youngest star of the Alkuwari family, well known in Qatar and the Middle-east for being one of the most prestigious dynasties in motorsports. His father competed in rallies and his brother (also his former team mate) has 7 MERC titles as a co-driver.
- Not only is he a fast driver, he’s also an excellent padel player competing in major international tournaments.
- But based on his qualities as a racing driver, his seasons in motorsports seem to be getting busier and busier. In 2025, Alkuwari not only finished second of the Middle-east Rally Championship (behind Nasser Al Attiyah), he also competed in several rounds of WRC as well as the Middle-East Baja championship and the Rallye du Maroc (W2RC).
- Abdulaziz who was discovering the Dakar for the first time in 2025 as part of the Nasser Racing team, behind the steering wheel of a Taurus went on to capture a splendid 4th spot overall.
- For his second appearance, he can hope for an even better performance, especially with the help of experienced co-driver Stephane Duplé.
- When he’s not in the right seat of a rally vehicle, Stephane Duplé is a truck and car instructor back home in the Pyrenees area of France. The ideal job to fulfill his other passion and partner drivers to that finish line of the toughest events in the world.
- He was first given the opportunity to come on the Dakar in 2015, some ten years ago, thanks to Yves Tartarin, a veteran of the off-road rally scene who saw in Duplé a bright future. That first Dakar experience ended at a 49th position.
- After four Dakar rallies alongside Tartarin, the Frenchman had to wait until the Dakar moved to Saudi Arabia to return in a cockpit, this time in an SSV with Swiss driver Vincent Gonzalez. A year later Duplé had to focus on giving notes in English to Britain’s Liam Griffin (20th overall in 2021) and then to young Aliyyah Koloc (33rd in 2023).
- The 43-year-old then went on to navigate Dania Akeel, helping the Saudi lady to capture her first ever Dakar stage (in the Challenger class), on the way to 27th place overall last January.
- A new chapter opens for the Frenchman who already had the opportunity to compete with Alkuwari in Morocco, Qatar and Dubai.
Ambition
A.A.K.: “Last year was my first year participating in desert rallies, and it’s a new experience that requires gaining experience and making the most of our participation in championships. It was a very good start for me, as I participated in several championships and achieved excellent results. I fulfilled my dream in participating in the Dakar.
I appreciate the role of the Qatari Federation in participating in the Dakar Rally and achieving my ambition, but in the future, I hope to participate in the Ultimate category in which Nasser Al Attiyah is and form a successful duo with such a champion.
We made the best of the management and supervision of Nasser Al Attiyah, from whose global experience we benefited and who is a great addition to us. He used to sit with us daily after the stages and we would explain to him what happened and he would answer our questions with open-heartedness, as well as guide us and we would consult him on all matters that needed explanation”.
S.D.: “On the last Dakar with Dania (Akeel) we had big ambitions. We had a strategy to try and get on the podium except that we probably tried to be in the top 3 every day and we got caught up into that and we suffered several crashes including one that was fatal because we stayed stranded in the sand a whole night. So, we didn’t achieve the result we wanted. But the Dakar is ruthless however well we had prepared with Dania after a great season. The Dakar just doesn’t forgive. So, it was very frustrating but it’s part of the learning process.
I carried on with Dania for the first part of the season and we managed to win our first race in Abu Dhabi which was unexpected. We applied what we had wanted for the Dakar and it worked out in Abu Dhabi. So that was great. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out well In South Africa and it ended on the roof of the car.
Dania wanted a change. I started in Morocco with Abdulaziz. We were discovering each other and we managed a great rally in what’s considered as a mini-Dakar with a lot of competition. That was very encouraging as soon as our first race together. We still have to fine tune. Abdulaziz is a very good driver, very fast. He comes from rally and he was able to see that in the Qatar and Dubai bajas, it’s not just about pure speed. You have to anticipate things. But that’s part of his apprenticeship of rally-raid and we were able to discuss about it.
Personally, I finish the season as the runner-up codriver in the Challenger class of W2RC and champion in the Middle-East championship. The next step is the Dakar. We’ll prepare physically and mentally and we’ll try to be smart to achieve the best possible result. If we have luck on our side, it can really work out. We want to believe in it.”
