Biography Edouard Boulanger
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It was not until 2014 that off-road motorcyclist Edouard Boulanger became a co-driver after a career as a driver. The Frenchman took over this role alongside Stéphane Peterhansel from his wife Andrea. The new line-up won the 2021 Dakar Rally at the first attempt.The Dakar victory was the second unexpected huge surprise for Edouard Boulanger: “To be able to drive alongside Stéphane and assist him was already a dream. But to win the Dakar with him in our first year together was something I hadn’t even dared to dream of.”
He has also been part of the Audi Sport team since day one. The second season did not go according to plan for the Frenchman at all in 2023: a serious accident at the Dakar Rally in January with a back injury meant a long period of convalescence. “I had never suffered such a serious injury before,” Boulanger looks back. “I’ve only been able to do sport intensively again since May.” The co-driver, who is also a qualified engineer, has used this phase to reorient himself. “I critically evaluated the training I had done before and came to the conclusion that I wanted to change something. Instead of cardio training and endurance, I set new priorities and intensified my muscle training. That seems to be more important to me for the Dakar Rally. I now train five to six times a week. That gives me a workload of 12 to 15 hours of sport.”
Edouard Boulanger is positive about the latest developments at Team Audi Sport. “Many new people have joined the team this year. They have got up to speed very quickly and set priorities that we as drivers and co-drivers very much welcome. Having previously worked on many classic vehicle topics, we now had the opportunity to focus a little more on the cockpit and the occupants. A lot has been done in the areas of comfort and safety. I am very grateful to the entire team for this.”
The Frenchman’s approach to the next Dakar Rally is clear. “A certain serenity in the cockpit will help us a lot. We want to stay calm so that we can concentrate fully on our tasks. That will be particularly important this year because the stages are so long and demanding. What’s more, the rocky sections that have caused a few surprises at the beginning in the past will only be tackled at the end in 2024.”
Edouard Boulanger (F)
Date of birth: May 4, 1979
Place of birth: Nancy (F)
Place of residence: Jongny (CH)
Marital status: married to Constanza, two daughters (Aude and Claire)
Height/weight: 1.77 m/68 kg
Motorsport since: 1997 (Audi co-driver since 2021)
Career as a driver:
1998–2010 Enduro
2005 9th place Rally Morocco, 13th place Pharaohs Rally (motorcycle)
2009 Final Erzberg Rodeo
2011 1st place Dakar Challenge (motorcycle), 5th place Pharaohs Rally (motorcycle)
2012 Dakar Rally (motorcycle)
Career as a co-driver:
2014 Baja Spain (driver Peter Jerie), Baja Poland (driver Taddy Blasuziak), Morocco Rally (driver Peter Jerie)
2015 Dakar Rally (driver Geof Ohlom), Baja Spain (driver Khalid Al Qassimi)
2020 1st place Baja Poland, 3rd place Baja Hail 1 and 2, 4th place Rally Andalusia (driver in each case Stéphane Peterhansel)
2021 1st place Dakar Rally (driver Stéphane Peterhansel), Audi Dakar Project
2022 Dakar Rally, 1st place Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (driver each time Stéphane Peterhansel) (Audi RS Q e-tron)
2023 Dakar Rally, Morocco Rally (driver Stéphane Peterhansel) (Audi RS Q e-tron)
Facebook: @EdouardBoulangerCodriver
Instagram: @edouard_boulanger
