Stéphane Peterhansel

Stéphane Peterhansel ( born August 6, 1965 in Échenoz la Méline at Vesoul ) is a French rally raid driver.

Peterhansel was repeated winner of the Paris-Dakar Rally: In the years 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1998, he succeeded the victory with Yamaha in the motorcycle standings. Next he was in 1997 and 2001 Enduro World Champion. In 1988 he won the International Six Day Trial with the French Trophy team.

Then Peterhansel made ​​with the two- year-older Auxerois Jean -Paul Cottret a successful car rally team. 2004, 2005 and 2007, he won the automobile category with Mitsubishi. In 2006, he collided with a tree, thus lost his overall lead and was only fourth, won his team-mate Luc Alphand.

In the 2009 Dakar Rally Peterhansel had to contend with the overheating engine of his Racing Lancer. After he had to remove an engine fire twice already, he retired a short time later from final.

In June 2009, he joined the Hessian X-Raid team. In the 2010 Dakar Rally and the 2011 Dakar Rally, he finished each of his BMW X3 as the best non- VW - pilot at the end of the fourth place in the overall standings of the cars behind the VW Race Touaregs. During the Dakar Rally in 2012 and the Dakar Rally 2013 Peterhansel MINI All4 Racing in a celebrated each overall victory. In 2014 he finished second. In the lead, he had to bow and let his teammate win the team order.

Peterhansel currently lives in the Swiss Montana.