He entered a little more into the legend of the Dakar and of sport itself.
At 55, Stéphane Peterhansel won his 14th Dakar this Friday in Saudi Arabia.
He triumphed for the very first time in 1991, exactly 30 years ago.
Such longevity is rare and even astonishes the French pilot who returns for us over three decades of adventures.
Do you feel the same emotion after a 14th victory as after the first, 30 years ago?
STÉPHANE PETERHANSEL.
In a race like this, there is always so much stress that when you cross the finish line you feel a real relief.
All the pressure is off.
The pleasure of savoring the efforts of two weeks of racing is still the same.
The emotion is always the same, in 2021 as in 1991. But you never get used to winning.
Is the Dakar easier to win in 2021 than 30 years ago?
Each race is very complicated to win.
You always have to give it your all, with a top co-driver and a good team around you.
Despite all this, to err is human.
Everything can happen.
To win this 14th victory this year having won on three continents (Africa, America, Asia) is really important.
I am the first to succeed in that and it is also a parameter that was particularly close to my heart this year.
Do you realize this exceptional longevity in the world of sport?
Quad we take the story, yes it is exceptional.
I have a hard time believing it myself.
I say to myself:
It is not possible!
For one person, in one lifetime, to do all of this at the highest level, that's crazy stuff.
This is why I had extra pressure this year.
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Which ?
This victory takes on a special flavor and I really wanted it because it marks exactly the 30 years gap between my first and last victory.
I really wanted to celebrate these 30 years.
It's a sign that matters.
If during your first Dakar in 1988, you had been told: "You are going to win again in 2021", what would you have thought?
I would have taken you for a fool, a dreamer.
It is something that was not imaginable.
Even in the late 1990s when I switched from motorcycles to cars, how could I myself have imagined that I was still going to earn that much.
All my dreams have been achieved and surpassed.
What was the first of all these dreams?
Win the Dakar once.
At first, it already seemed like a Holy Grail.
I felt the same as I walked over to the car and said to myself, “I'm going to try to win once.
“Today I'm at eight, it's just incredible.
It is difficult to achieve.
Every time I crossed the line of a victorious Dakar, I thought:
But how did you do it?
What is your main quality for winning the Dakar so many times?
This race is so complicated.
To tame it, you have to line up days by avoiding traps, by measuring yourself against opponents who are drivers who have sometimes also won the Dakar.
I remain, between us, surprised by my abilities.
Stéphane Peterhansel and Edouard Boulanger's Mini buggy went to the end as the winner.
REUTERS / Hamad I Mohammed
Why do you stay stronger than all the other pilots?
I do not have the answer.
I already have a good car, a good team, I had a very good new co-driver this year
(Editor's note: Edouard Boulanger)
.
After all that, the driver has to be up to the task by adopting the right strategy, staying constant, knowing how to waste time in complicated places so as not to break the car or get lost.
Serenity on the Dakar is essential.
It is said that when a pilot puts the helmet on his head, he loses 50% of his means and his lucidity.
I have to bring this average back up.
In your record, is the 2021 victory more beautiful than the others?
It's a victory that counts.
I have sometimes won against opponents who lost through mechanical problems.
It was played with consistency by attacking every day.
Sportingly, it is perhaps not the most beautiful because the one where I win in front of Sébastien Loeb (2017) was magnificent.
But she enters the top 5 of my victories.
Which one remains the most beautiful?
The first was in 1991. You will never be able to take away the pleasure of this first time when I was alone on a motorcycle.
I was fulfilling my dream.
Why do you like this race so much?
I have always liked speed, motorsport, enduro racing.
But what I adore even more is the nature, the beautiful landscapes.
The Dakar is the only race that allows us to see the most beautiful countries in the world by going to the limit of our strength.
How has the Dakar changed the most since 1991?
The biggest changes have been made when it comes to safety although it is still a dangerous sport.
Before, we didn't have GPS, medical helicopters.
The Dakar is also more and more a laboratory of extraordinary reliability for cars.
Hasn't he lost his adventure side?
No, she is still there.
When you are alone in the desert on a 500 or 800 km special, believe me, you will still feel the adventure in 2021. The Dakar remains above all a human adventure because you have to draw on your strength to get there.
This is even more true for bikers.
And you, how have you changed the most?
I have more and more experience but no less stress even if it may seem surprising.
Have you set a limit for the number of wins?
This is how it will come… I am already enjoying this victory and it is complicated with the health situation.
I will then rest and see what I want.
I don't have a plan but I say the same thing every year.
On which continent do you dream of winning it again?
The moon
(smile)
?
More seriously, age will start to make itself felt and maybe at some point you will have to think about quitting but it is not planned for now.
We will see.
If you could meet the young Stéphane Peterhansel from 1991, what would you say to him?
Don't change anything and be careful because the adrenaline of the race is exhilarating but it is dangerous.
Keep your lucidity because you will always have to keep your safety margin on this race.
And what would he say to the one you have become?
“Don't worry, I know my job, I'll take care of myself.
And, in fact, he would do bullshit like I probably did too because only experience dictates good behavior.