Until 2022, Xavier de Soultrait was one of the prominent riders in rally-raid and Dakar on motorcycles. He won a stage in Dakar, even achieved a top-ten overall finish, and was a factory Yamaha rider. Last year, after a spinal injury, he switched to four wheels in SSV, and this year, he clinched his first victory.
The Frenchman competed in a Polaris for Sébastien Loeb Racing Bardahl Team, with Martin Bonnet as his navigator. In a highly competitive SSV category in this Dakar, de Soultrait emerged as the winner with just a 2m25s lead over Jérôme de Sadeleer (MMP/Can-Am).
Despite the narrow margin of victory, de Soultrait led the standings continuously from the seventh stage. Before that, he had only been at the top after winning the Prologue. He also set the pace in stages 5 and 6, relying on consistency to secure the title.
