His switch to four wheels came the following year, and Auriol displayed the same talent and sheer determination behind the wheel. In an era where the Dakar was often seen as ‘death or glory’, Auriol chased the latter, becoming the first pilot to win both the motorcycle and car categories in 1992, when he won the 7,722-mile Paris-Cape Town Rally for Mitsubishi.
When his racing career ended, Auriol remained at the heart of rally raid, holding the position of Dakar director between 1995 and 2004, as well as co-founding the Africa Eco Race, which picked up where the Dakar left off when it moved to South America in 2009. From 2001, he presented the cult French reality game show, Koh-Lanta, which maroons contestants on a desert island, where they face survival and physical challenges.
During his lifetime, Auriol also won five cross-country rally championships, and was awarded both France’s National Order of Merit and, in 1995, the Légion d’Honneur.
Motorsport has lost a legend, the Dakar a true pioneer of its enduring spirit. Goodwood sends its sincerest condolences to his friends and family. Salut L’Africain.
Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.