Xavier de Soultrait (born 9 May 1988) is a French rally motorcyclist and driver. De Soultrait has competed primarily in rally raid events, including the Dakar Rally. He won the 2024 Dakar Rally in the SSV class.[1]
Career
De Soultrait began his rally racing career on motorcycles. He made his Dakar Rally debut in 2014, finishing in 34th position.[2] In 2016, de Soultrait won the FIM Bajas World Cup, at the time the top championship for motorcycle rally raids.[3] In 2019, de Soultrait achieved his best finish in the Dakar Rally on bikes, finishing 7th.
In the 2021 Dakar Rally, de Soultrait suffered back injuries in an accident on Stage 8.[4] Though he would return to bikes for 2022, the injuries led de Soultrait to move to four-wheel vehicles for 2023.[2] He entered the SSV class for 2023, finishing 19th in his four-wheel debut. In 2024, de Soultrait won the SSV class for his first career Dakar victory.[1]
Results
Dakar Rally
| Year | Class | Vehicle | Position | Stages won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Bikes |  Yamaha
|
34th | 0 |
| 2015 | 13th | 0 | ||
| 2016 | DNF | 0 | ||
| 2017 | 87th | 1 | ||
| 2018 | DNF | 0 | ||
| 2019 | 7th | 1 | ||
| 2020 | DNF | 0 | ||
| 2021 |  Husqvarna
|
DNF | 0 | |
| 2022 | 15th | 0 | ||
| 2023 | SSV |  Polaris
|
19th | 0 |
| 2024 | 1st | 3 |
References
- ^ a b "Dakar 2024 – Snatch success for Xavier de Soultrait and Martin Bonnet (Sébastien Loeb Racing) in SSV". autohedbof1.com. AUTOHedbo. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Profile of Xavier de Soultrait". Dakar.com. ASO. Retrieved 20 January 2024.(in French)
- ^ "5 minutes: Xavier de Soultrait – "I'm happy to be able to race the best bike"". enduro21.com. Enduro21. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ "Aussie former champ airlifted to hospital after devastating Dakar Rally crash". foxsports.com.au. Fox Sports Australia. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
This page was last edited on 21 January 2024, at 23:51