Dakar 2024 – The secrets of Stéphane Peterhansel: “The designers of the Audi are no longer there”

“Monsieur Dakar” is the man of records. Before the start of the 2024 Dakar, on January 5 in Al-Ula (Saudi Arabia), Stéphane Peterhansel is credited with 14 victories including 6 on motorcycles and 8 on cars, as well as 50 stage successes in cars. The Frenchman is trying to bring Audi a victory for the brand's third and final appearance at the Rings in the Desert.

You regained your bearings during the Rally of Morocco last October, where you won a special stage before encountering a technical problem on the day of arrival. What conclusions do you draw from this?

During the fourth stage, we made good adjustments to the suspensions, something I had difficulty achieving during the previous days. Despite a puncture, we won this special. This preparation test allowed me to reconnect with automatisms, visual work, anticipation, etc. Thanks to Morocco, confidence returned, even if opponents encountered problems during this stage. In any case, my speed was satisfactory.

At that point, what percentage were you then satisfied with your package?

I am eternally dissatisfied when it comes to settings, but we were already at 90% of what we could have hoped for.

What have you changed on the Audi this winter? Visually, the RS Q e-tron E2 looks exactly like the 2023 version…

The suspension had to be adapted to the new, stiffer tires. We have found acceptable solutions. Due to these new tires, the car has lost comfort. We had to compensate for this with the suspensions. But it's okay, it's honest. We still had 2 punctures in Morocco, each time on the side of the tire, and not on the tread. However, these are precisely the sides that have been reinforced by BFGoodrich. We know that a new tire is not a miracle solution. When we pass through stony areas, it remains difficult for the tires.

On a physical and moral level, how do you approach a race in which your co-driver Édouard Boulanger injured his vertebrae and where you briefly lost consciousness upon landing a jump?

It definitely stresses me out. It's not a trauma, but it's still a serious accident. It was the most violent crash of my career, because I had never lost consciousness. We must therefore regain confidence. Édouard has two rods and 8 screws in his back following his broken vertebra. It's not a great feeling to drive fast, to be constantly hit in the cabin knowing that he's with me. But the doctors were very reassuring, all the checks were carried out seriously last year and Édouard returned to top physical level. He is strong, even stronger than before the accident (laughs). But I can't help but feel bad for his back when we're being tossed around in the car. Sometimes I wonder, “Damn, how does that react in his body? ".

Édouard Boulanger, who was standing near us, intervenes: “So far I haven’t had an ounce of pain. It is rather the head which takes the shocks, and not the back, in normal times. »

The additional 15 kilowatts (or 20,3 horsepower) allocated by the technical regulations for this Dakar, will that change the situation?

It can only help us. Once in the car, it is not an additional 15 kW that will cause a difference in the driving sensations. We will see if this will be enough to fight with the others (Toyota and Prodrive. Editor’s note). There is another parameter that I cannot control, and that is reliability. In this area, I am a little more worried.

Why ?

We have lost a lot of human resources since the 2023 Dakar. A large number of people, engineers in particular, who worked on the creation of this car, have already spent 100% on the team project. Formula 1. All the designers of the car are no longer there. The car is so complicated, with a multitude of electronic data, software programming, etc. We have three times more sensors on board than an F1 car!

So you need to know inside out all the procedures to follow in the event of a problem?

Different colored lights may appear on the dashboard, ranging from yellow to red. It is complicated. Not to mention that when arriving at a competition like the Dakar, there is this inherent element of stress, the navigation to succeed as best as possible, the decision-making which must be made very quickly in special, etc. In short, I always tend to say that once you put on the helmet, you lose a good third of your intellectual abilities due to stress, which takes away some lucidity.

Even at your unequaled level of experience (35 Dakar starts)?

It depends. When you claim a first place on the Dakar, yes. You quickly lose your footing if you encounter a technical problem. Pressure makes you do stupid things, among all top-tier drivers. A Dakar is never easy to win. It only happens once a year, when you take control of the race, you want to win so much that the pressure builds. It takes away your calm and makes you react differently. It's difficult to manage.

Do you do meditation or an activity that helps relax the nerves in these high-intensity phases?

I don't do anything at all. As the years go by, I don't know if it puts more stress on me than at a certain time in my career (he is 58 years old. Editor's note). Besides, with my former co-pilot Jean-Paul Cottret, with whom I won seven Dakars, the more the years went by, the more anxious he became. Normally, it's quite the opposite! Today, I can’t say that stress isn’t there on my side. In 2021, during my last success at the Dakar with Édouard (Boulanger), the climate was heavy. Not externally, no, rather in relation to myself. I didn't feel light on my shoulders, I was afraid of doing something stupid. I woke up with a knot in my stomach every morning. I shouldn't, because winning 13, 14 or 15 Dakars doesn't change anything in my life. But I can't do otherwise. I am fully involved.

Does this reputation of “Mister Dakar” repeated by the media contribute to this tension?

No. External elements do not affect my tension. It’s just myself, because I want to do well. On a Dakar, it's easy to make a mistake when you have to be almost flawless for 2 weeks.

How are you going to approach this Dakar precisely, when several of your competitors have changed creameries (Al-Attiyah went from Toyota to Prodrive among others)?

Before looking at others, we must sweep our own door. We focus on the work of the team, and on taking care to avoid technical glitches. Nasser, we tend to say of him that he would go just as quickly if he had a donkey rather than a 4x4! (laughs) His car will perform well, I'm not worried about him or Seb (Loeb). For Toyota, they have more reliability, but anything can happen, it's still the Dakar. Hoping that the race is not decided in the first two or three days like in 2022 and 2023! That would be a pity. Nasser did the job, but he also took advantage of two Dakars which made his life easier where all the competitors were eliminated straight away. He was smart enough to manage his lead afterwards. It is not by chance that he wins: he makes few mistakes, he is the most complete driver currently.

More than you ?

Yes. He rides very often in competition, every week or almost he sets very high speeds in rally or rally-raid. He has a natural speed that is easier than us. To ride at his speed, we have to force ourselves, or at least get out of our comfort zone. Honestly, he is the most complete. There aren't too many photos. In addition, he has worked with Mathieu Baumel for many years, they have gotten along well in terms of navigation exchanges. Nasser is very experienced and has a great reading of the terrain.