Hubert Auriol, who won the Dakar Rally on three occasions between 1981 and 1992, has died following a lengthy illness at the age of 68.
Born in Addis Abeba in Ethiopa in 1952, Auriol plied his early Dakar days in the motorbike category, competing nine times and winning the event for BMW in 1981 and 1983.
Nicknamed “the African”, Auriol was a natural on the fast desert tracks of the Dakar and gained universal admiration in the 1987 edition following an epic rally-long duel with great rival Cyril Neveu.
The pair battled tooth-and-nail all rally, with Auriol crashing agonizingly close to the end on the final stage, breaking both ankles.
Despite this, he made it to the finish broken and in tears as Neveu claimed victory.
Auriol then moved into the car category the following year, contesting the 1988 edition in a factory Mitsubishi Pajero T3.
He won the 1992 Dakar, which finished in Cape Town, South Africa with Mitsubishi before joining Citroën for 1993.
Born in Addis Abeba in Ethiopa in 1952, Auriol plied his early Dakar days in the motorbike category, competing nine times and winning the event for BMW in 1981 and 1983.
Nicknamed “the African”, Auriol was a natural on the fast desert tracks of the Dakar and gained universal admiration in the 1987 edition following an epic rally-long duel with great rival Cyril Neveu.
The pair battled tooth-and-nail all rally, with Auriol crashing agonizingly close to the end on the final stage, breaking both ankles.
Despite this, he made it to the finish broken and in tears as Neveu claimed victory.
Auriol then moved into the car category the following year, contesting the 1988 edition in a factory Mitsubishi Pajero T3.
He won the 1992 Dakar, which finished in Cape Town, South Africa with Mitsubishi before joining Citroën for 1993.
His final Dakar as a competitor came in 1994, marred by controversy when both Auriol and team-mate Pierre Lartigue by-passed a waypoint while the Mitsubishi duo of Bruno Saby and Jean-Luc Fontenay got stuck in the sand dunes.
Auriol still holds the record for the highest number of stage wins in one Dakar in the bike category (9) and has a total of 37 stage wins across the bike and car classes.
After retiring, Auriol joined Dakar organizer, the ASO, and was race director of the event between 1995 and 2004 before handing over to Patrick Zaniroli.
Auriol, who was also crowned cross-country rallies champion five times, was awarded the National Order of Merit and the Légion d’honneur in 1995.
Auriol still holds the record for the highest number of stage wins in one Dakar in the bike category (9) and has a total of 37 stage wins across the bike and car classes.
After retiring, Auriol joined Dakar organizer, the ASO, and was race director of the event between 1995 and 2004 before handing over to Patrick Zaniroli.
Auriol, who was also crowned cross-country rallies champion five times, was awarded the National Order of Merit and the Légion d’honneur in 1995.
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