Dakar 2023 – Jean-Luc Ceccaldi, a wild boar in the desert

Among the troop of Light Prototypes entered entered in category T3 on this Dakar Rally 2023, a red machine makes its way through the horde of Can-Ams and other vehicles sponsored by the giant Red Bull. This is the Zephyr built by PH Sport and entered by Jean-Luc Ceccaldi and Cédric Duulé.

The French crew was even in fifth place in the general classification on the evening of the third stage, but the loop around Ha'il (Saudi Arabia) this Wednesday January 4 caused a lot of trouble. His story is the typical example of the galley slave, who never gives up despite all imaginable problems.

ALSO READ > VIDEO. Cars stuck in a swollen river on stage 3 of the Dakar 2023

“We opted for the right strategy by leaving with the gas tank filled to the brim, explains the Alsatian. With the very hard sand of the course, we knew that it was going to be good in terms of consumption. Some leading teams were also trapped because they wanted to play with full tanks and did not make it to the refueling point, which caused them to lose time.

We were calm, scraping a few places in the rankings! But, unfortunately, after refueling, we broke the protective walls at the front. From there, the sand rushed into the passenger compartment and it became terrible for me. I couldn't see anything anymore, I was up to my knees, we had to stop several times to unload the sand because of the weight.

Hell… To make matters worse, we broke the belt three times and suffered two punctures. And 130 km from the finish, the brake pedal suddenly broke. We finished without brakes, it became super dangerous!

At one point, we hit the bottom of a dune. We took, as they say in the jargon, a real watermelon. It made the toes tremble and the light went on in the brain!

JLC Racing is only entering one Zephyr on this 2023 Dakar but intends to expand its workforce. © Julien Delfosse / DPPI

We managed to return to the bivouac, losing three hours. We go from 5th to 13th place... We're obviously disappointed, but the main thing is that we're still in the race. »

The 8th in the World Championship rally-raid (W2RC) in T3 in 2022 does not lose its smile. “The organizers wanted a tough Dakar, and that’s the case. Everyone complains because it crushes the cars. I like it. It's hard, we know that. »

Late retraining

Jean-Luc Ceccaldi does not yet have a very solid track record despite his age. Corsican by birth, but living in Alsace, the head of a repair company only discovered motorsport once he turned 50, through a gift offered by his friends.

« It is only now that my children are taking over the business that I can indulge in my new passion”, he explains to us. However, his career could have ended from the start. In 2019, doctors detected a serious heart problem. A quadruple coronary bypass was carried out, and the medical profession initially ruled out any return to sport. But that's not knowing the guy well!

The fifty-year-old hangs on, first resumes cycling then gradually slips into the seat of an off-road car. Winner of T3 on the Silk Way Rally in 2021, he returned to the Dakar in 2022, but was slowed down by mechanical problems (21st).

Additionally, the category has evolved radically in the space of a few years. “The cars are going faster and faster and young drivers are using this category as a gateway to T1+. But it's the amateurs who make the Dakar, he adds.

Can you see the little Corsican flag? © Julien Delfosse / DPPI

Of course, we know that at 50, we won't progress to T1+, but that's the basis of this sport. We are not asking for privileges, but just to be considered by the media. For fans, the Dakar is a childhood dream.

We were all watching the Dakar on television, with the exploits of Stéphane Peterhansel on a motorbike and Jean-Louis Schlesser in a buggy. When we were in the car, and we saw the immensity of the dunes, we said to ourselves: “I wanted to be there, now I no longer have a choice, I have to go.”

Jean Luc Ceccaldi uses his weapons as best as possible against the rally-raid youngsters. “The advantage of being a certain age is that you can better manage stress and fatigue. We know each other better, and we listen to each other more, especially when we have had a heart problem. »