Alphand goes for second Dakar success

Reigning champion Luc Alphand is looking to join the ranks of motorsport’s elite by claiming victory in the 2007 Dakar Rally, which gets under way in Portugal tomorrow.

Former skiing champion Alphand won the gruelling endurance event 12 months ago and now hopes to emulate the achievements of Mitsubishi team-mates Stephane Peterhansel and Hiroshi Masuoka, both of whom have won the rally twice.