BIOGRAPHY

Testing the slopes for the first time aged two, Luc went on to become one of the most famous world downhill skiiers of all time, winning 12 World Cup victories and nine French Championship titles, twice winning the pro US Tour and ranked number one in the world.

In January 2004, he entered the record books by posting the first overall stage time on the Dakar with a diesel-powered car and ultimately finished fourth with co-driver Henri Magne. Alphand joined the Mitsubishi team in the summer of 2004. After working on the Mitsubishi Pajero* Evolution's test and development programme, he flew the team's colours for the first time on the 2005 Dakar at the end of which he secured second place. Three months later he took his maiden FIA World Cup win with Mitsubishi in Tunisia, following that up with another success on Portugal's Baja Portalegre in October the same year. Months later, he fulfilled his dream of winning the Dakar when he steered his revised MPR12 version of the Pajero* Evolution to Mitsubishi's sixth consecutive victory on the African marathon in January 2006. A little more than two months later he won the Patagonia-Atacama Rally in South America but rolled out of contention in Tunisia in April (suffering a minor hand injury in the process) before coming third overall on the Rally Transiberico in May. During the summer months he worked on Mitsubishi’s test and development program with the latest MPR13 version of the Pajero* Evolution. His efforts were rewarded with outright victory on the 2006 UAE Desert Challenge in November and second place on the following January's Dakar. The 2007 season saw him take fourth on the Rally Transiberico which he followed up with a victory on South America's Por las Pampas/Patagonia-Atacama Rally.

Former Downhill skiing champion Luc Alphand, who won the 2006 Dakar with Mitsubishi and who finished second behind Peterhansel in 2005 and 2007, is swift to echo his team-mate's analysis. "Team spirit and solidarity are essential," he stresses. "You never know when it might be your turn to require help, especially since the 2008 route promises to be very difficult. Reliability also promises to be the key to a top result, as it always is. That said, you can't just sit back and wait for your rivals to hit trouble. You've got to stay in contact with the front-runners and you rarely get a chance to take a breather on the Dakar. It will be therefore important to be part of the leading group through Morocco before the core of the challenge which, to my mind, will be the marathon legs and the Mauritanian stages. That is why our victory on the UAE Desert Challenge, which bears certain similarities to the western Sahara – was so encouraging. Obviously, we can't read too much into our performance in Dubai against a strong field, but we were competitive and Stéphane and I both led. Now I'm just looking forward to the Dakar. I feel optimistic, we are all in great shape thanks to our physical fitness programme and, above all, as I say, we form a bonded team."