kids encyclopedia robot

Cyril Despres facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Cyrildespres.jpg
Cyril Despres in 2009
Quick facts for kids
Personal information
Born (1974-01-24) January 24, 1974 (age 51)
Nemours, France
Height 1.80 m
Weight 82 kg
Sport
Country  France
Sport Motorsport (cars, bikes)
Event(s) Rally raid
Achievements and titles
World finals 2 World Championship (2003, 2009)
Medal record
Rally raid (bikes)
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Dakar Rally 5 4 1
Rally of Tunisia 3 1 1
Rallye du Maroc 4 1 2
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 5 - -
Rallye dos Sertões 2 3 0
Sardegna Rally Race 2 - -
Rally raid (cars)
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Dakar Rally 0 0 1
Silk Way Rally 2 - -

Cyril Despres (born 24 January 1974) is a famous French rally racer. He lives in Andorra. Cyril is best known for winning the tough Dakar Rally five times on a KTM motorcycle. He won in 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, and 2013.

He also won other challenging races. These include the Red Bull Romaniacs three times (2004, 2005, 2007). He also won the Erzberg Rodeo twice (2002, 2003). Later in his career, Cyril started racing cars. In 2018, he was an official driver for the Team Peugeot Total.

Cyril Despres' Racing Journey

Early Dakar Rally Challenges

In the 2012 Dakar Rally, Cyril Despres faced a tough challenge. During one stage, his bike got stuck in the mud. Another rider, Paulo Gonçalves, helped him get out. Cyril later continued the race. The organizers changed the course because many riders got stuck. Cyril was given back the time he lost.

Cyril had a very close race with his teammate, Marc Coma. They both rode KTM bikes. On the second-to-last stage, Marc Coma had a problem with his bike. This allowed Cyril to take the lead. Cyril kept his lead until the end of the rally. This win was his fourth Dakar Rally victory. It meant he had won as many times as the famous Italian rider, Edi Orioli.

Switching to Cars

A big change happened in Cyril's career in 2015. He decided to switch from racing motorbikes to racing cars. He joined the Peugeot team. He raced alongside other 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. In their first year together, they finished 34th. In 2016, Cyril improved a lot. He finished 7th overall with his new co-driver, David Castera.

Winning the Silk Way Rally

In July 2016, Cyril and David Castera won the cars' category. This was at the Silk Way Rally. This is a very long and difficult rally race. They were so good that they won the race again the next year.

Dakar Rally Results Overview

Cyril Despres has competed in the Dakar Rally many times. Here is a summary of his results over the years:

Year Class Vehicle Position Stages won
2000 Motorbike Japan Honda 16th 0
2001 Germany BMW 13th 1
2002 Austria KTM DNF 0
2003 2nd 3
2004 3rd 4
2005 1st 2
2006 2nd 4
2007 1st 2
2008 (CE) 5th 2
2009 2nd 4
2010 1st 3
2011 2nd 3
2012 1st 3
2013 1st 1
2014 Japan Yamaha 4th 3
2015 Cars France Peugeot 34th 0
2016 7th 0
2017 3rd 1
2018 31st 1
2019 United Kingdom Mini 5th 0
2020 SSV Belgium OT3 buggy DNF 0
2021 Cars France Peugeot 10th 0

NOTE: The 2008 Dakar race was moved to Hungary and Romania. This happened because of safety concerns in Mauritania.

Other Major Wins

Cyril Despres has won many other important races besides the Dakar Rally.

Car Race Wins

  • Silk Way Rally
    • 1 2016 (driving a Peugeot 2008 DKR)
    • 1 2017 (driving a Peugeot 3008 DKR)

Motorbike Race Wins

  • Tunisia Rally
    • 1 (2004, 2005, 2009)
    • 2 (2003)
    • 3 (2000)
  • Orient Rally
    • 1 (2005)
  • Rallye du Maroc
    • 1 (2000, 2003, 2010, 2012)
  • Brazil Rally
    • 1 (2006, 2011)
    • 2 (2007, 2009, 2013)
  • Rally dos Sertões
    • 1 (2009)

See also

A robot friend for kids In Spanish: Cyril Despres para niños

kids search engine
Cyril Despres Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.