DEFENDER

 As a teenage skateboard champion, Stéphane Peterhansel was already captivated by the images of the Dakar in the 1980s, with Cyril Neveu and Hubert Auriol devouring the Saharan dunes. But he had no idea that 40 years later, he would sit atop the mountain with 14 titles and embark on a high-flying technological challenge. His talent and precociousness enabled him to learn the rally-raid trade quickly. He won his first Dakar in 1991. The biker donning the blue bandana won six titles in eight years aboard a Yamaha. The qualities he had acquired on a motorbike were immediately put to good use when he switched to four wheels: 7th on his first attempt in 1999 and runner-up the following year. The first win in a car came in 2004, when 'Peter' became the second competitor in Dakar after Hubert Auriol to win in both the bike and car categories. He won with Mitsubishi in 2005 and 2007. After the Japanese firm withdrew, Peterhansel joined X-Raid, but it wasn't until 2012 that he collected his 10th title. Never satisfied, 'Monsieur Dakar' followed it up with another victory in 2013. A new challenge arose in 2015 with the return of Peugeot to the Dakar. 'Peter' secured the French carmaker's first victory since the success of Ari Vatanen in a 405. The series continued with the 3008 to go for a 13th title at the end of a tense final duel with team-mate Sébastien Loeb. In January 2021, he added another milestone to his unmatched career, becoming the only competitor to have won in Africa, South America and now Asia. The feat could have prompted the rally-raid legend to call it a day. But carmaker Audi presented him with one of the most tempting challenges of his career: to participate in the design and development of the first electric vehicle capable of winning the Dakar. The first two attempts failed, firstly because of the shortcomings of the RS Q e-tron and then because of a driver error that resulted in a serious injury to his co-driver in 2023, during stage 7. To complete this technological adventure, he still has one last opportunity in the three-year programme that ends with the 46th edition of the Dakar. Accompanied by Edouard Boulanger, the former KTM and Toyota 'mapman' who has sat to his right since the last victory with Peugeot and who has been healing his vertebrae since the accident last January, Stéphane Peterhansel is moving forward with equal parts ambition and humility. With the timid but real hope of going for a 15th trophy!