Sports FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2017 just check out his restaurant tips – mak- ing this adventurous Frenchman your perfect guide to his home rally. Watch it all on Red Bull TV. Cyril Despres: Five-time winner of the Dakar Rally! Name: Cyril Despres Date of Birth: January 24 1974 Nationality: French Machine: KTM 450 Rally Debut: 2000 Dakar (Senegal) to Cairo (Egypt). Finished 16th Best Dakar: Four-time champion (2005, 2007, 2010, 2012) Unlike many of the Dakar champions that have come before him, Cyril didn’t grow up in a family with an established love of motorsport. Cyril’s inspiration came instead from watching a friend rid- ing in motocross competitions. Once Cyril caught the biking bug, he soon set his sights on the ultimate chal- lenge, the Dakar Rally. Through sheer determination, Cyril got himself to the Cyril Despres (FRA) of Team Peugeot TOTAL start line of the first Dakar of the new mil- seen after stage 11 of Rally Dakar 2017 from lennium. An impressive 16th place finish San Juan to Rio Cuarto, Argentina on January 13, 2017. Cyril Despres (FRA) of team Peugeot TOTAL is seen during the Rally Dakar 2017 technical verification in Asuncion. saw him rewarded with a contract to race for BMW. Cyril enhanced his reputation as a star of the future in the next few editions of the Dakar as he started to win stages and got himself onto the podium. In 2005, now riding with KTM, Cyril won his first Dakar Rally. The fact Cyril only won two stages on the route between Barcelona and Dakar demonstrates the Frenchman’s intuitive knowledge of the tactical side of the race. In 2007 Cyril won the last Dakar Rally to be staged in Africa and he also tasted success in South America with his 2010 title. Cyril’s natural charisma sees race fans get behind him wherever he goes in the world. 2012 got off to a perfect start for Cyril as he claimed his fourth Dakar Rally crown. However, the majority of remain- ing months of the year were spent recov- ering from a series of injuries until he got back on his bike in October to win his fourth Rallye du Maroc. The victory proved to all his competitors’ one thing, Cyril is back and he means business. Red Bull TV Host Mike Chen .