Stéphane Peterhansel

Stéphane Peterhansel
NationalityFrance French
Born (1965-08-06) 6 August 1965 (age 58)
Échenoz-la-Méline, France
Dakar Rally career
Debut season1988
Current teamAudi Sport
ChampionshipsDakar Rally
Wins14

Stéphane Peterhansel (born 6 August 1965 in Échenoz-la-Méline, Haute-Saône) is a rally driver from France. He holds the record for wins at the Dakar Rally, with 14 victories. He currently drives for Team Audi Sport.[1]

Biography[edit]

Peterhansel made his Paris to Dakar Rally debut in 1988 in the motorcycle category for Yamaha, later winning the event in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, and 1998. He switched to the car category for 1999, joining the works Mitsubishi in 2003.[2] He went on to win the event for the Japanese marque in 2004, 2005 and 2007. He took his 10th victory in 2012 driving an X-Raid prepared Mini Countryman and his 11th in 2013 for the same team, making him the most successful competitor in the history of the Dakar Rally. In 2014 he was leading the Dakar in the final stage, but was controversially ordered to allow his team-mate, Nani Roma, to overtake and win - leaving himself to finish in second place. In 2015 he joined Peugeot as the manufacturer returned to compete in the Dakar for the first time since 1990. He took his 12th and 13th Dakar victory in 2016 and 2017. He competed in the Race of Champions in 2005 and 2006 and is also a two-time World Enduro Champion. From 1999 to 2018, his Dakar co-driver was Jean-Paul Cottret.

He also competed in the 2018 Rallye du Maroc in the UTV category with a Yamaha YXZ with his wife Andrea Mayer as his co-driver.[3]

Since the 2018 Baja Portalegre 500, Peterhansel and Cyril Despres have swapped their co-drivers, making David Castera as Peterhansel's co-driver and Cottret the co-driver for Despres.[4][5]

Dakar Rally[edit]

Year Class Vehicle Position Stages won
1988 Motorbike Japan Yamaha 18th 1
1989 4th 6
1990 DSQ 1
1991 1st 1
1992 1st 4
1993 1st 3
1994 Did not enter
1995 Motorbike Japan Yamaha 1st 4
1996 DNF 3
1997 1st 7
1998 1st 3
1999 Cars Japan Nissan 7th 0
2000 France Mega 2nd 2
2001 Japan Nissan 12th 0
2002 DNF 1
2003 Japan Mitsubishi 3rd 6
2004 1st 2
2005 1st 4
2006 4th 3
2007 1st 0
2008 (CE) 2nd 1
2009 DNF 0
2010 Germany BMW 4th 4
2011 4th 1
2012 United Kingdom Mini 1st 3
2013 1st 2
2014 2nd 4
2015 France Peugeot 11th 0
2016 1st 3
2017 1st 3
2018 4th 3
2019 United Kingdom Mini DNF 2
2020 3rd 4
2021 1st 1
2022 Germany Audi DNF 1
2023 DNF 0
2024 30th 1

Other honours[edit]

Year Event
1992 Paris-Moscow-Beijing Rally Motorcycle
1996 UAE Desert Challenge – Motorcycle
1998 24 Hours of Chamonix
2002 Tunisia Rally
UAE Desert Challenge – Car
2003 UAE Desert Challenge – Car
2004 Tunisia Rally
Morocco Rally
2005 UAE Desert Challenge – Car
2007 UAE Desert Challenge – Car
2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Car
FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies – Car

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Profile of STÉPHANE PETERHANSEL - TEAM AUDI SPORT - Dakar". www.dakar.com. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  2. ^ "Rally, Dakar 2012: storico decimo successo per Peterhansel" (in Italian). notiziariosportivo.it. Archived from the original on 13 December 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  3. ^ "Rallye du Maroc 2018 - Peterhansel and Andre Villas Boas Put a Spotlight on the SSV Category". Rally-Raid Network. September 24, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  4. ^ "Baja Portalegre 2018: Debut for Peterhansel and Castera in the MINI JCW Rally". Rally-Raid Network. October 18, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  5. ^ "Rallye du Maroc 2018: Sainz, Peterhansel and Despres in the MINI John Cooper Works Buggy". Rally-Raid Network. October 2, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2019.

External links[edit]

Sporting positions
Preceded by Dakar Rally
Motorcycle Winner

19911993
Succeeded by
Preceded by Dakar Rally
Motorcycle Winner

1995
Succeeded by
Preceded by Dakar Rally
Motorcycle Winner

19971998
Succeeded by
Preceded by Dakar Rally
Car Winner

20042005
Succeeded by
Preceded by Dakar Rally
Car Winner

2007
Succeeded by
Preceded by Dakar Rally
Car Winner

20122013
Succeeded by
Preceded by Dakar Rally
Car Winner

20162017
Succeeded by
Preceded by Dakar Rally
Car Winner

2021
Succeeded by