Édouard Boulanger replaces Mathieu Baumel alongside Nasser Al-Attiyah

With the fidgeting that characterizes Nasser Al-Attiyah, it was obvious that his quest for a co-pilot in rally-raid was hardly going to take long. A little over three weeks after the announcement of his separation from navigator Mathieu Baumel, another Frenchman will take his place in the right seat: Édouard Boulanger.

The Qatari, five-time winner of the Dakar, will launch this new association during the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the second round of the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC), from February 25 to March 2.

 

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Through a message on social networks, Édouard Boulanger thanked his former sidekick, Stéphane Peterhansel. Together, the two men won the 2021 Dakar on behalf of Mini and X-Raid. Then, they participated in the development of the hybrid Audi RS Q e-tron, winning the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in 2022 as well as two stages of the Dakar Rally in 2022 and 2024.

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“4 years and thousands of photos in my head but this one will remain my favorite,” writes Édouard Boulanger. Stretching out and enjoying what we love most: desert landscapes and running! Of course, our victory at the Dakar 2021 will remain our highlight but it is only the peak of our common history. »

This was particularly intense and rich in emotions according to the French co-pilot. “Friends, landscape discoveries, biker stories, travel, technical difficulties, sporting frustrations, hard work to develop an innovative concept with Audi Sport and Q Motorsport, sharing good times with the fantastic boys Carlos Sainz, Mattias Ekström, Lucas Cruz, Emil Bergkvist.

These last 4 years – of vacations – have been rich in emotions and strong moments shared together! Thank you Stéphane for trusting me more than anyone! Thank you Andrea for giving me your place (Stéphane Peterhansel's wife, Andrea Peterhansel, was initially planned for the 2021 Dakar but physical problems prevented her from doing so. Editor's note)! You both changed my life forever and I will never forget it. »

The end of the collaboration between Stéphane Peterhansel and Édouard Boulanger inevitably raises the question of the future of “Monsieur Dakar”. Despite the noise from the bivouac this winter, Stéphane Peterhansel never announced that the 2024 Dakar was his last competition. The man with 14 rally-raid victories has so far given no comment on the rest of his career.