Hubert Auriol, former driver and director of the Dakar rally and first presenter of the Koh-Lanta reality show, died on Sunday January 10 at the age of 68 "from a cardiovascular accident following a long fight against disease, "his family told AFP.
Nicknamed "the African", not only because he was born in Ethiopia in 1952, but also because of the successes encountered on the tracks of the famous rally-raid, which he was the first to win both on a motorcycle (1981 and 1983) and in cars (1992), he then went to the other side of the mirror from 1995, becoming the new Dakar boss, a position he held until 2004.
It is under his leadership that the rally-raid will set off for the first time outside France, from Spain (Granada in 1995, 1996 and 1999) and even from Dakar (1997 and 2000).
His face would become even more familiar to the general public in 2001, when he added a new string to his bow: television.
Fastest round-the-world record in a propeller plane
Hubert Auriol will also go down in history as the first presenter of a television show that has since become cult, Koh-Lanta, during which physical tests and adventure are promised to the candidates.
However, the experience will stop for him after the first season.
The taste for adventure is in fact the common thread in the life of Hubert Auriol, who also has another record, that of the fastest round the world made in propeller planes, in 1987 - shortly after his accident. motorcycle tour - with Henri Pescarolo, Patrick Fourtick and Arthur Powell, in just over 88 hours.
With AFP
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