Dakar 2023: Christian Lavieille, an expert delighted to have a hard time

Christian Lavieille proves on this Dakar Rally 2023 that we can combine a friendly character with a competitive spirit. The adopted Varois, who returned to the T1 buggy category in 2021, is in the running for a top 10 for his 20th participation after 10 completed stages (13th, 50 minutes behind Yacopini-Oliveras in 10th place).

“I'm pretty happy with my rally so far ", told us the representative of MD Rallye Sport, associated for the first time in his career with WRC2 specialist co-driver and firefighter Valentin Sarreaud (co-driver of Yohan Rossel). “We lost a little time following mechanical problems but that’s motorsport.

The ranking is quite tight. Guerlain Chicherit (GCK) takes us back (12e) but we won't be able to fight with him. We will make sure we get things done as they should. Mechanical problems must be avoided over the remaining five days before arrival. »

Christian Lavieille, unlike some of his peers, appreciates the harsh nature of the 45th edition of the Dakar, wanted to be more difficult by its Race Director, David Castera.

ALSO READ > Dakar 2023, Sébastien Loeb: “At this rate we have six months to get back to Nasser”

« It's a difficult rally. You have to know how to manage and be wary of traps. You have to know how to lift your foot when necessary, like when you go over stones. It's a rally raid. Some people complain about the difficulty, but if they want to ride hard, there are other disciplines. You have to adapt to the terrain and this will be the case until the finish. And it’s very good like that”, says the 57-year-old pilot.

The three-time winner of the Dakar in class T2 is also impatiently awaiting the entry into the Quart Vide this Wednesday, January 11, a desert of dunes and sand virtually unexplored by the rally-raid since his arrival in Saudi Arabia in 2020.

“The Empty Quarter, we know it won’t be easy. The reconnaissance teams took a considerable amount of time to trace the special stages in this desert. We are not going to average high speeds in this area. There will surely be plenty of traps, you will have to be vigilant,” analyzes Christian Lavieille.

ALSO READ > Dakar 2023 Guide – The Route

“When I show up at the start of the stages, I won’t act smart. There will be crashes (in the dunes). In recent years, we were not used to seeing the best drivers remain “tanked” in the sand. We will find the usual images of Mauritania during the African Paris-Dakar, where the official Mitsubishis and Volkswagens crashed at one time or another in the sand. And that’s good too! » Such enthusiasm inevitably makes you want to see how the crew behind the wheel of the black and green Optimus n°218 will fare…