Rally Dakar 2005

Repsol Drivers. Jean-Paul Cottret
Career Highlights: 1984-1992: Participation in Cross-Country Rallies as service crew.1992: 9th overall, Rally of Tunisia1993: 9th overall, Baja Spain1994: 3rd overall, Dakar Rally; T2 Cross-Country Rally World Cup title1995: 6th overall, 1st in T1, Rally of Tunisia3rd overall, 1st in T2, Baja Portugal1996: 3rd overall, 1st in T1, Australian Safari5th overall, 1st in T2, Master Rally1997: 3rd overall, 1st in T2, Rally of Morocco3rd overall, 1st in T1, Australian Safari1st overall, Rally Monte Carlo Electric1998: 1st overall, Baja Portugal1999: 1st overall, Rally Egypt2000: 2nd overall, Dakar Rally; 5th overall, Rally of Morocco;4th overall, 1st diesel in Masters Rally; 8th overall, UAE Desert Challenge2001: 1st T1, Dakar Rally; 2nd overall, Baja Italy, 1st in diesel category2002: 1st overall, Rally of Tunisia; 1st overall, UAE Desert Challenge, all in a Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution2003: 3rd overall, Dakar Rally; 2nd overall, Baja Italy; 1st overall,UAE Desert Challenge, all in a Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution2004: 1st overall, Dakar Rally; 1st overall, Rally of Tunisia; 1st overall Rally of Morocco; 8th overall, UAE Desert Challenge, all in a Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution                      Frenchman Jean-Paul Cottret was born in June 1963 and now lives with his wife Sandrine and two children Marine and Charlotte, near Auxerre. Between 1984 and 1992 he was actively involved in cross-country rallies as a member of various service crews, before making the switch to the co-driver’s seat. He participated in the 1992 Rally of Tunisia and finished ninth overall, ninth in Spain the following year and then took third overall in the 1994 Dakar Rally and the T2 Cross-Country Rally World Cup title. Numerous top class results followed in events such as Tunisia, the Australian Safari, Morocco and Egypt and he finished second overall with Stéphane Peterhansel in the 2000 Paris-Dakar-Cairo Rally. The following season the pair won the T1 category, before joining the Mitsubishi Motors team to take a series of outright wins in Tunisia, Dubai, Morocco and a maiden Dakar Rally triumph in January 2004.