Cyril Neveu: “I miss Africa”

A five-time winner of the motorcycle Dakar in the early years (1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1987), Cyril Neveu has remarkably converted himself into the organization of high-end classic rallies. At 66, he doesn't plan to stop. He even plans to compete in the 2024 Dakar with his son as co-pilot.

Published on 16/12/2022 à 18:00

⁰ View comments)

Carpooling with Cyril Neveu © Fabien Gérard

Cyril, why are we at the Parc de Saint-Cloud with this convertible DS?

The Parc de Saint-Cloud is a piece of countryside in the heart of Paris. I come there to cycle and go for walks. But I am deserting the capital more and more often. I like to recharge my batteries in my country houses: one in Haute-Savoie, the other in Var. The DS Chapron is a nod to my father. This car was in the garage when I was a kid. It's thanks to him that I competed in the first Dakar. Maybe it reads AUTOhebdo From up there…

Explain to us…

Competition is in our blood at the Nephews. My father (Claude. Editor’s note) was a double canoe-kayak world champion. He also competed in Monte-Carlo and always owned motorcycles. As a kid, I didn't hesitate to try them in Orléans (Loiret), my hometown. When I was 17, I started competing in trials. This is where I met Hubert Auriol. When we learned of the existence of rally Abidjan-Nice (mixed rally initially called Côte-Côte for Ivory Coast and Côte-d'Azur, the first start of which took place on December 1, 25. Ndlr), mon père et moi, nous nous sommes inscrits. Ça nous excitait terriblement de découvrir l’Afrique, un continent que l’on ne connaissait pas. Mon père pilotait un Range Rover et moi une Yamaha. C’est d’ailleurs dans cette 2eédition, en 1976, que Thierry Sabine s’est perdu dans le désert et qu’il a été re-trouvé par miracle. J’ai fini à la 6e place, je crois. C