He will be remembered as much more than a traveling companion. However, Cyril Neveu, five-time winner of the Paris-Dakar on a motorcycle (1979, 1980, 1982, 1986 and 1987), had great duels with Hubert Auriol, who died this Sunday, January 10 at 68 years old. The legend of French motorsport, three-time winner of the legendary event and the first driver to achieve this feat in both disciplines – on a motorcycle in 1981 and 1983 then in a car in 1992 – deeply marked the man who became his friend, with whom he notably delivered an anthology fight during the 1987 edition.
How do you react to the disappearance of Hubert Auriol?
CYRIL NEVEU. I am very touched. 40 years of my life are erased, since we had attacked together the first Paris-Dakar (in 1978), where we had in particular formed our little team with “Fenouil” (Editor’s note: Jean-Claude Morellet, former driver and director of the Paris-Dakar). Previously, I had participated in the Abidjan-Nice raid, which was the beginnings of the Dakar. There, where Thierry Sabine got lost on a motorbike, and where he had the project to organize the first Paris-Dakar, to which I registered. This is where all our fights with Hubert started, but while remaining friends. He’s the only pilot with whom I was able to forge such a relationship, where we fought like ragpickers but where we could have a drink in the evening together, saying to each other: You see, I did put one on you, but tomorrow it might be you. We had more than friendly relations.
We inevitably remember this epic duel between you and him during the Paris-Dakar 1987, which he had to give up in tears after breaking both ankles. One of the greatest moments of sport and television …
Obviously. We weren’t giving each other gifts. But when it happened, I was in front of my TV checking my stopwatch, I was transformed, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Of course I still wanted to win, I had taken some time back. And when he arrived, I thought to myself: Shit ! Not knowing what had happened at that moment… It had to be one who won, unfortunately it was me. But not under the conditions that I would have liked. He had had a superb reaction, saying that I had been the strongest on this one.
After winning the Dakar in motorbikes and cars, he became its boss, with great success …
Absolutely, it was when I was the one in the Tunisia and Morocco raid. We often consulted each other at that time, we had an important bond, and we rubbed shoulders all the time. He achieved what I have never succeeded in doing: on a motorbike I won five, he two (1981, 1983), but he also won one in a car (in 1992). It will leave an indelible mark. And as a boss, with his past, he was able to give the Dakar a makeover like a driver, so it was great.
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VIDEO. Hubert Auriol, Dakar legend, died at 68
What do you think he was most proud of?
The Dakar, of course. It made us all crazy, whether it was him, me or Stéphane Peterhansel. It was for us a school of life, a school of humility, to prove that we must always hang on. And I think we proved it in 1987. Even though we were an hour and a half late, he didn’t give up and neither did I. The coronavirus ended up overwhelming him, but he was already very ill before… What is even sadder is the death of his ex-wife Caroline just three weeks ago, in tragic circumstances (Editor’s note: she died after a bicycle accident in the Parc de Saint-Cloud, in the Hauts-de-Seine). They leave behind their three daughters, Julie, Jenna and Leslie.
