Profile of ALEXANDRE GIROUD - YAMAHA RACING - SMX - DRAG'ON

N°151 Bike YAMAHA RACING - SMX - DRAG'ON

STEFAN SVITKO

MANUEL ANDUJAR

ALEXANDRE GIROUD

(fra) 1.77m / 74kg

Hobbies

Running, chevaux, désert

“We've already won it, so it's cool!”

After some hard luck in the 2020 and 2021 editions, Alexandre Giroud has finally added the Dakar to his long list of achievements, 25 years after his father Daniel became the first rider to finish the Dakar on a quad. "Had someone told me before, I would have never believed them", confided the Grenoble native after this tremendously emotional victory. But Giroud did not stop there. He also won the Rally of Morocco and the Andalusia Rally to capture the quad world rally-raid champion's crown despite missing the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the efforts and consistency of his Slovakian rival Juraj Varga. Griroud is thus approaching the 2023 Dakar with a high degree of confidence, with the firm intention of becoming the second rider to win the most prestigious rally-raid two years in a row in the category. While he will be preyed upon by challengers determined to deny him this honour, the Frenchman has worked hard to fine-tune his quad to the last detail to be ready. All the elements are there to aim for the top step of the overall podium once again.

A.G.: “Sometimes when you win a title, you see yourself as unbeatable... and often that's when you take a beating. So, I am trying to be even more disciplined than last year to avoid becoming complacent. We spent a year working on the machine, developing it to improve it, even if it has already demonstrated its reliability. It worked because we won the world championship. It is the fruit of intense labour which led us to this result. Today, we aren't looking for a result but the exploit of winning two consecutive Dakars on a quad. Only one rider has done it two years in a row. When you aim for a feat, you have to prepare yourself. We have won everything, and that's why we must approach this Dakar relaxed to enjoy this incredible event that is this rally. Once everyone has done their job, what will happen is what will happen. We've already won it, so it's cool! When I ride past my house, I think to myself that there are not many that have won this one! We have been quite busy during the year with the Baja of Aragon, the World Quad Championship in Pont-de-Vaux, the Rally of Morocco and Andalusia. It's been a busy year!”

Vehicle

YAMAHA RACING - SMX - DRAG'ON

YAMAHA RAPTOR 700
YAMAHA RACING - SMX - DRAG'ON

Mark YAMAHA
Model RAPTOR 700
Performance tuner -
Assistance Team Giroud – Yamaha – SMX - Dragon
Class Quad

Ranking 2023

All news of A. Giroud

W2RC: Al Attiyah and Loeb deadlocked as Kevin Benavides gains an edge

CARS: Al Attiyah wins, but Loeb comes out ahead Sébastien Loeb is not the type who needs to be told twice. Last year, after his hopes of Dakar victory went up in smoke, the Frenchman went on the hunt for high finishes in specials, which awarded from 5 to 1 points to the top 5 of each stage. His aim was to make up the 10 points separating the winner of the Dakar,...

Dakar 2023: A bumper crop of records

Cars: Quiet aplomb carries the day for Al Attiyah

Scoring 5/20 is usually very bad news, but in the case of Nasser Al Attiyah, who claimed his fifth Bedouin trophy in his twentieth Dakar start (including the 2008 edition, as the bivouac is wont to do), his track record shows that he is one of the most keen-sighted and visionary competitors in the world of rally raids....

Alexandre Giroud: "It's a crazy day"

Double delight for the Frenchman, who claimed his second Dakar in a row, again following the withdrawal of Manuel Andújar and with a host of rivals coming for him.

"It's a crazy day. To win two times the Dakar makes it a crazy day. I'm very happy. Thanks to my family, my partner and my mechanic, who did a great job."

Alexandre Giroud: "Dakar is still far away"

Fifth today, the reigning champion is as dominant as Al Attiyah, with over 40 minutes in hand over his closest pursuer in the general standings.

"We've never been so close, as they say. But as Pierre Lartigue, I think, once said: Dakar is still far away. This is even truer in Saudi Arabia! We've got one road section and one day left. I've been...

10 quads still in the race

The quads are about to tuck into the 153 km special. The winner of the last three stages, Marcelo Medeiros, will again lead the charge, followed by Francisco Moreno Flores, who is now within 44 minutes of Alexandre Giroud in the general standings —a bit more than the 40 minutes the Frenchman lost yesterday.

Alexandre Giroud: "The stage was good for me"

Alexandre Giroud did not tempt fate on today's rugged, fiendish terrain, preferring to give Manuel Andújar a clear run for the stage win on the road to Riyadh. The Frenchman, who finished second today, 2 minutes behind the Argentinian, is entrenched at the top of the general classification with 1 h 41 to spare over his rival.

"Today...

Alexandre Giroud: “I’m happy with my day”

Although comfortably installed as leader in the quad category, Alexandre Giroud is refusing to count his chickens before they have hatched. Following second place on the day’s stage behind Manuel Andújar, the Frenchman now boasts a lead of 43 minutes in the general rankings ahead of Argentinean Francisco Moreno Flores

“It...

Andújar vs. Giroud again!

After 121 km, Manuel Andújar is still the quickest quad rider, but the Argentinean only has a lead of 16’’ over general rankings leader Alexandre Giroud. The two rivals are opening up a gap on their pursuers, with Pablo Copetti in third, more than 2 minutes behind.