It is said in the bivouac that you have to reach ten participations in the Dakar to consider that you have experience.
If this is the case, Mathieu Serradori is not far away. At 44 years old, the Fréjusien will take the start for the ninth time, this Friday January 5. The sixth in a row in the car, already.
Initially passionate about motorcycles, he participated in the rally raid three times on 2 wheels (2009, 2011, 2012), before adding two tires to his vehicle from 2019.
He has since gained good stripes in the caravan, notably finishing eighth in 2020 after winning a stage. Ranked seventh in 2022, he was on course to bring back a new top 10 during the 2023 edition. An engine failure shattered his chances during the last stage (final twelfth place). Nothing to dampen his motivation before the 2024 edition, the start and prologue of which are set for this Friday in Al-Ula (Saudi Arabia).
Serradori lines up for the third time in a row alongside his accomplice Loïc Minaudier, also a biker. Between the electrical contractor and the co-pilot from Aveyron, the current flows better than ever. “Loïc fractured his fibula in 2023 and followed all his rehabilitation treatments in my region, so he spent two months with meexplains the Varois. This allowed us to work together a lot, including on very specific mental preparation. We had a great preparation.”
With a new trophy in their joint record: that of the Morocco Desert Challenge 2023, of which they won no less than seven special stages.
The outsider label is once again stuck on their vehicle, decorated with the number 212 this year. It pleases Mathieu, who already told us in 2023 that he likes to be “the stone in the shoe of top teams”.
“We have to realize that our opponents are Nasser al Attiyah, Sébastien Loeb, Stéphane Peterhansel… People whose job is to drive, who do that much more often than us. It’s the court of the very great”he said again.
A pattern still relevant this year. The latest in 2 wheel drive.
What result can the French duo aspire to? “Today, if we want to keep up with the best, we need a T1 +”notes Mathieu regarding the most powerful vehicles in the bivouac.
The South African manufacturer Century, for which he drives, has developed one, the CR7, but it will be entrusted to Brian Baragwanath.
The Fréjusien keeps the CR6, a model with 2 driving wheels instead of 4. “2-wheel drive is the legacy of Jean-Louis Schlesser (double winner of the Dakar, editor’s note), so that does something. I preferred to continue with the CR6 one last time, but it’s getting harder and harder.”
For this last appearance with this vehicle, the Serradori-Minaudier pair can claim a place in the top 10, or even get closer to the top 5 depending on the events of the race. In rally raid, everything is always possible. “The collaboration between the Serradori Racing Team and Century makes us grow, we have become more professional and we have sought out skills”rejoices the driver licensed at ASA Circuit Paul-Ricard, who can devote more and more energy to motorsport.
A switch to 4-wheel drive is planned in the future. But before that, time for one last dance with the CR6.
