Biography Stéphane Peterhansel

Living legend

Stéphane Peterhansel has won the Dakar Rally a total of 14 times. The Frenchman has won six times in the saddle of a motorcycle and eight times at the wheel of a car. His passion for the marathon classic is unbroken.

Even as a child, Stéphane Peterhansel learned how to deal with challenges. At the age of eight, his father, a motocross racer, gave him his first motorcycle. At 18, the top talent rides his first championship on an enduro machine and becomes champion straight away. In 1988, when Peterhansel was 22, he made his Dakar debut as a works driver. Although 18th place is not at all to his taste, he now knows for sure: “This is my race. And now I want to win it!”

He achieved this a total of 14 times between 1991 and 2021. Since then, a lot has changed at the Dakar Rally. After its beginnings in Europe and Africa in 1979, it was held in South America from 2009 onwards. Since 2020, it has had its third stage in Saudi Arabia. Even for record winner Peterhansel, time has never stood still. Since 1999, after his sixth Dakar victory on a motorcycle, he has been taking part in the most important cross-country rally in a car. And impressively continued his streak there with eight more victories.

Looking at the project development to date with the Audi RS Q e-tron, the Frenchman comes to a clear conclusion: “We started with a good concept. It’s a very special drivetrain concept with good vehicle balance – that’s what excited me. And then the engineers improved the system year after year. As a result, the car got better and better for us to drive. I am very happy with the set-up. Everything in the cockpit also meets our expectations. We have an excellent seat and can operate the car as we wish.”

The experienced record winner is expecting a challenging route for the Dakar Rally in 2024. “The routes will be slightly longer than before. The endless sea of dunes in the Empty Quarter will be particularly tough, both in terms of terrain and navigation,” says Peterhansel. “It will be a very long rally with 14 days of competition. It is particularly important to maintain our own energy levels. We need to rest after the strenuous stages and eat well so that we are fresh every morning.”

Stéphane Peterhansel (F)

Date of birth: August 6, 1965
Place of birth: Échenoz-la-Méline (F)
Place of residence: Aminona (CH)
Marital status: married to Andrea, one son (Nicolas) and one daughter (Melanie)
Height/weight: 1.77 m/68 kg
Motorsport since: 1988 (Audi driver since 2021)

Career as a driver:

1983–1987 Motocross
1988 18th place Dakar Rally (motorcycle)
1989 4th place Dakar Rally (motorcycle)
1990 Dakar Rally (motorcycle)
1991 1st place Dakar Rally (motorcycle)
1992 1st place Dakar Rally (motorcycle)
1993 1st place Dakar Rally (motorcycle)
1995 1st place Dakar Rally (motorcycle)
1996 Dakar Rally (motorcycle)
1997 1st place Dakar Rally (motorcycle), 1st Enduro World Championship
1998 1st place Dakar Rally (motorcycle)
1999 7th place Dakar Rally (automobile)
2000 2nd place Dakar Rally (automobile)
2001 12th place Dakar Rally, 1st Enduro World Championship
2002 Dakar Rally (Automobile)
2003 3rd place Dakar Rally (automobile)
2004 1st place Dakar Rally (automobile)
2005 1st place Dakar Rally (automobile)
2006 4th place Dakar Rally (automobile)
2007 1st place Dakar Rally (automobile)
2009 Dakar Rally (Automobile)
2010 4th place Dakar Rally (automobile)
2011 4th place Dakar Rally (automobile), 1st Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
2012 1st place Dakar Rally (automobile)
2013 1st place Dakar Rally (automobile)
2014 2nd place Dakar Rally (automobile)
2015 11th place Dakar Rally (automobile), 1st Gran China Rally
2016 1st place Dakar Rally (automobile)
2017 1st place Dakar Rally (automobile)
2018 4th place Dakar Rally (automobile), 2nd place Baja Portalegre 500
2019 Dakar Rally (Automobile), 1st place FIA World Cup Cross Country Rallies
2020 3rd place Dakar Rally (automobile), 1st place Baja Poland, 3rd place Baja Hail 1 and 2, 4th place Rally Andalusia
2021 1st place Dakar Rally (automobile), Audi Dakar Project
2022 Dakar Rally (automobile), 1st place Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Audi RS Q e-tron)
2023 Dakar Rally, Morocco Rally (automobile) (Audi RS Q e-tron)

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