Cyril Despres facts for kids
Cyril Despres in 2009
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Quick facts for kids Personal information |
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| Born | January 24, 1974 Nemours, France |
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| Height | 1.80 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 82 kg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  France |
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| Sport | Motorsport (cars, bikes) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Rally raid | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World finals | 2 World Championship (2003, 2009) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Cyril Despres, born on January 24, 1974, is a famous French rally racer. He lives in Andorra. He is best known for winning the tough Dakar Rally five times on a KTM motorcycle. His wins were in 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, and 2013. Cyril also won other challenging races like the Red Bull Romaniacs three times (2004, 2005, 2007) and the Erzberg Rodeo twice (2002, 2003). In 2018, he was an official driver for the Team Peugeot Total.
Contents
Cyril Despres' Racing Journey
Cyril Despres has had an amazing career in rally racing. He started on motorcycles and later switched to cars.
Motorcycle Racing Highlights
In the 2012 Dakar Rally, Cyril faced a tricky situation. Another rider, Paulo Gonçalves, helped him out of the mud. However, Cyril did not return the favor later. The race organizers even changed the course because many riders got stuck. Cyril was given back the time he lost. Paulo, though, received a penalty for getting outside help.
Cyril had a very close competition with his KTM teammate, Marc Coma. They battled for the win in the 2012 Dakar Rally. On the second-to-last stage, Cyril took the lead. This happened because Marc Coma's bike had a problem. Cyril kept his lead until the end of the rally. This win was Cyril Despres' fourth Dakar Rally victory. He matched the record of Italian rider Edi Orioli.
Switching to Car Racing
A new part of Cyril's Dakar career began in 2015. He joined the Peugeot team as a car driver. He raced alongside famous drivers like Carlos Sainz and Stéphane Peterhansel. These drivers had also successfully switched from bikes to cars. Cyril's co-driver was Gilles Picard, and they finished 34th in 2015. In 2016, Cyril and his new co-driver, David Castera, finished 7th overall.
In July 2016, Cyril and David Castera won the car category at the Silk Way Rally. They repeated their success and won the same rally again the next year.
Dakar Rally Results by Year
The Dakar Rally is one of the toughest races in the world. Here's how Cyril Despres performed in it over the years:
| Year | Class | Vehicle | Position | Stages won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Motorbike |  Honda |
16th | 0 |
| 2001 |  BMW |
13th | 1 | |
| 2002 |  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 | KTM |
2nd | 4 |
| 2010 | 1st | 3 | ||
| 2011 | 2nd | 3 | ||
| 2012 | 1st | 3 | ||
| 2013 | 1st | 1 | ||
| 2014 | Yamaha |
4th | 3 | |
| 2015 | Cars |  Peugeot |
34th | 0 |
| 2016 | 7th | 0 | ||
| 2017 | 3rd | 1 | ||
| 2018 | 31st | 1 | ||
| 2019 |  Mini |
5th | 0 | |
| 2020 | SSV |  OT3 buggy |
DNF | 0 |
| 2021 | Cars | Peugeot |
10th | 0 |
Other Race Wins
Cyril Despres has won many other important races besides the Dakar Rally.
Car Race Wins
- Silk Way Rally
2016 (driving a Peugeot 2008 DKR)- 2017 (driving a Peugeot 3008 DKR)
Motorcycle Race Wins
- Tunisia Rally
- (2004, 2005, 2009)
(2003)
(2000)
- Orient Rally
- (2005)
- Rallye du Maroc
- (2000, 2003, 2010, 2012)
- Brazil Rally
- (2006, 2011)
- (2007, 2009, 2013)
- Rally dos Sertões
- (2009)
See also
In Spanish: Cyril Despres para niños
