Cyril Despres
Cyril Despres | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 24, 1974 France |
| Occupation | Rally raid racer |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Known for | Five-time Dakar Rally winner |
Cyril Despres (born 24 January 1974) is a French rally competitor currently residing in Andorra. He has claimed victory at the Dakar Rally on five occasions (2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013) while competing on a KTM motorcycle. Additionally, Despres triumphed three times at the Red Bull Romaniacs Hard Enduro Rallye (2004, 2005, 2007) and won the Erzberg Rodeo consecutively in 2002 and 2003. In 2018, he joined Team Peugeot Total as an official driver.
Career
In the 2012 Dakar Rally, Despres was at the center of a contentious episode when Portuguese rider Paulo Gonçalves assisted him in freeing his bike from mud; however, Despres did not return the favor. After nearly all participants became stuck except for Spaniard Marc Coma, race officials modified the route and compensated Despres for the time lost. Gonçalves was penalized six hours for providing outside help.
Despres regained the lead from teammate Marc Coma on Stage 13 following Coma's mechanical issues and held onto it to secure his fourth Dakar Rally title, equaling the record set by Italian rider Edi Orioli.
In 2015, Despres switched to competing in the car division with Peugeot alongside teammates Carlos Sainz and Stéphane Peterhansel. Paired with co-driver Gilles Picard, they finished in 34th place. The following year, with David Castera as his co-driver, Despres improved his standing to seventh overall.
In July 2016, Despres and Castera won the car category at the Silk Way Rally, successfully defending their title in 2017.
Dakar Rally results
| Year | Class | Vehicle | Position | Stages won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Motorbike | Template:Country data JPNTemplate:Namespace detect showall Honda | 16th | 0 |
| 2001 |  BMW
|
13th | 1 | |
| 2002 | Template:Country data AUTTemplate:Namespace detect showall KTM | DNF | 0 | |
| 2003 | 2nd | 3 | ||
| 2004 | 3rd | 4 | ||
| 2005 | 1st | 2 | ||
| 2006 | 2nd | 4 | ||
| 2007 | 1st | 2 | ||
| 2008 | Event cancelled – replaced by Central Europe Rally | |||
| 2009 | Motorbike | Template:Country data AUTTemplate:Namespace detect showall KTM | 2nd | 4 |
| 2010 | 1st | 3 | ||
| 2011 | 2nd | 3 | ||
| 2012 | 1st | 3 | ||
| 2013 | 1st | 1 | ||
| 2014 | Template:Country data JPNTemplate:Namespace detect showall Yamaha Motor Company | 4th | 3 | |
| 2015 | Cars | Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Peugeot | 34th | 0 |
| 2016 | 7th | 0 | ||
| 2017 | 3rd | 1 | ||
| 2018 | 31st | 1 | ||
| 2019 | rowspan=1 Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Mini | 5th | 0 | |
| 2020 | rowspan=1 SSV | rowspan=1 Template:Country data BELTemplate:Namespace detect showall OT3 buggy | DNF | 0 |
| 2021 | rowspan=1 Cars | rowspan=1 Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Peugeot | 10th | 0 |
Other achievements
- Automobiles
- Victories in 2016 (Peugeot 2008 DKR) and 2017 (Peugeot 3008 DKR)
- Motorcycles
- Winner in 2004, 2005, and 2009
- Runner-up in 2003
- Third place in 2000
- Champion in 2005
- Titles secured in 2000, 2003, 2010, and 2012
- First place finishes in 2006 and 2011
- Second place standings in 2007, 2009, and 2013
- Winner in 2009
References
External links
- Competitor profile on Worldrallyraid.com
- Official driver profile at Dakar.com
- Rider profile on Lerepairedesmotards.com