An Interview with Luc Alphand – 2006 Dakar Rally Winner
Kuala Lumpur, 15 March 2007 – Rally fans will get a chance to watch Luc Alphand, outright winner of the Dakar Rally in 2006, and 1st Runner-up in the Dakar Rally 2007, this weekend, when he goes over to Kota Kinabalu in East Malaysia to give his fans and motor sport enthusiasts the ‘Triton Rally Winning Experience’.
Covering more than 8,000 kilometres across Portugal, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and Senegal, the Dakar rally is known as the world’s toughest and most demanding cross-country event. Mitsubishi emerged the winner and undefeated champions yet again, continuing a 7-year string of consecutive victories. This impressive win also marks the 12th overall victory in 25 years of competition.
“This is my first time in Malaysia and I wish to thank Mitsubishi motors Malaysia for the invitation extended and for the opportunity to share my Dakar Rally experience. Having just completed the Dakar Rally race recently, the euphoria of Mitsubishi Motor’s double victory in the 2007 Dakar Rally still lives on. Year on year, we have always strived to achieve what we have set out to do and we are ecstatic over our achievements,” said Luc Alphand.
“The Dakar Rally is never short of excitement. The adrenaline rush I get from driving in the sand dunes and the formidable terrain is exhilarating and the experience is unimaginable. Our focus next year, as is with every year, is simple; Mitsubishi Motors must win the Dakar. Gearing towards our mission for the year ahead, there will be a lot of testing, planning, developing and fine tuning of our already reliable cars as we are already in works to secure Mitsubishi Motor’s 8th win!” added Luc Alphand.
To prove the toughness of Mitsubishi vehicles, Luc Alphand will be at hand to show off the Triton at the Triton Rally Winning Experience to be held at Kota Kinabalu from 16 – 18 March 2007.
Luc Alphand is French, 41 years of age, and was brought up in the French Alps of Briancon. He is a former ski champion, and took to rallying in 1998, considered quite a late start for a rally driver. When asked about his experiences in the beginning, he replied, “ I found that moving from skiing to motor sports was not that difficult. The common thing about motor sport and skiing is that in both, quick reflexes are necessary. The only difference is that in rallying, I found that I could drive fast, in a straight line. Making the car turn was the difficult part,” he quipped. “I started driving on race tracks, but found that I liked rallying much better, because in rallying, I found that I had different situations to deal with every moment, and I could identify with that, because that is very similar to situations in skiing. The only difference is that in skiing, everything is over in two minutes, whereas in rallying, we have to stay alert for two weeks.”
When asked to give some advice to young Malaysians who aspire to go into motor sport, these were his words of encouragement, “Drive as much as you can, because it is only with practice that you can improve your driving. Get into as many motor sport events as you can.”
Luc Alphand started his race career entirely on his own, seeking some sponsorship to get into the sport, and he admits that at some points in time, he had to come up with his own money in order to get into a race. However, he tries not to spend his own money if he can help it. We asked him how he got his skills. “In the beginning, every body tries to help by telling me what to do, and what not to do,” he said. “But as you get faster, then people stop telling you, and you have to learn on your own.” he joked.
His hero is Ari Vatanen, the rally legend in the 1970’s when he was mooted the fasted rally driver around; Ari Vatanen was the one who first alerted Luc Alphand on the merits of ‘left-foot braking’. “That has made me a lot faster,” said Alphand.
