Xavier de Soultrait
| Xavier de Soultrait | |
|---|---|
 Xavier de Soultrait at the 2020 Dakar Rally | |
| Nationality | French |
| Born | 9 May 1988 |
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
[edit]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
[edit]Dakar Rally
[edit]| 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
[edit]- ^ 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.