Dakar 2024 – Snatch success for Xavier de Soultrait and Martin Bonnet (Sébastien Loeb Racing) in SSV

Xavier de Soultrait succeeded in his bet. An excellent biker in the 2010s, the Frenchman converted to SSV after a nasty fall on the Dakar Rally 2021. The 35-year-old pilot signed up with Sébastien Loeb Racing aboard a brand new Polaris RZR Pro R, developed in partnership with the American manufacturer.

The Tricolore, sailed by Martin Bonnet, had an almost flawless course, winning with a tiny lead of 2425” over Jérôme de Sadeleer and Michaël Metge (Can-Am). “I didn’t come far from winning on a motorcycle in 2021 when I broke my spine,” said Xavier de Soultrait in the finish area. It was hard to manage this with my young children. The question arose whether to start again or stop everything. I’m super happy to have found Martin, Polaris and Sébastien Loeb Racing. »

 

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Xavier de Soultrait took the opportunity to slip a tackle on his opponents. If he does not name it, the Frenchman is targeting Can-Am, a benchmark manufacturer in SSV, which used all legal means to prevent Polaris from winning. Several complaints resulted in penalties against De Soultrait for non-compliance with the Sentinel alarm, causing him to lose a quarter of an hour in the penultimate stage.

“We had a half hour head start, we were attacked by some not very classy people, we kept our heads high. We didn't give up, we won fairly, we can be proud of ourselves. I think we represent the image of Polaris well, we play it “fair” (Fair) and winning like that is really cool. »

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