Hubert Auriol

Auriol is notable for being the first competitor to win the Dakar rally on motorcycles and in automobiles.

[2] Auriol was born in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, and began competing in motocross and enduro events in 1973.

Auriol then switched to the automobile class in 1988, first racing a factory-backed Mitsubishi Pajero Proto T3, but after losing the event to Ari Vatanen in 1990, switched to the Citroën team, winning in 1992 with a ZX Rallye Raid, co-driven by Philippe Monnet.

In 1994, Auriol joined Dakar organizer ASO and became race director of the event he won three times, starting in the 1995 edition.

Auriol, who had been suffering from cardiovascular disease for a long time, was hospitalized in serious condition after being infected by COVID-19 in Paris in November 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in France.