Hobbies : Mountain biking, movies

Career highlights :
2004 - First, S1600cc Rally Monte Carlo (with Bernardi)
2001 - First, WRC Rally Catalunya (with Auriol)
1999 - First, WRC Rally China (with Auriol)
1998 - First, WRC Rally Corsica (with Auriol)
1996 - Winner, European Championship (with Schwarz)
1995 - First, WRC Rally Corsica (with Auriol)
1993 - First WRC victory (Finland with Kankkunen)
1993 - Winner, European Championship (with Baroni)
Winner, French Group A Championship (with Bugalski)

Having competed in the sport since 1977, Denis Giraudet is one of the World Rally Championship's most experienced co-drivers. The six-time WRC rally winner has sat alongside 11 drivers at the highest level, but it was with his countryman Didier Auriol that all-but two of those wins were achieved. Denis is the latest recruit to the Subaru World Rally Team, joining Stéphane Sarrazin for this season. Denis' sage approach should be the perfect foil for Stephane's speed and ability.

A fortunate accident
In 1977, the 21-year-old Denis was fascinated by motorsport; Formula One, Jacques Laffite and Ligier fired his early imagination. His switch to rallying came by accident, when an old school friend asked him to navigate on a rally. Despite being engaged in his national service at the time, Denis accepted the offer and climbed aboard a Simca 1000 Rallye for his first event: a round of the French Rally Championship.

Eleven years after that first rally, Denis had progressed through the national ranks to the point where he was on the verge of turning professional. He was now sitting alongside Philippe Bugalski and the pair had been offered a contract with Renault. Denis had to choose between his day job in an import/export business and a French Rally Championship assault with one of the country's rising star drivers. He stuck with the sport. He and Philippe won the two-wheel-drive title aboard a 21 Turbo in 1991.

Changing places
Denis switched to Lancia for 1992, where he and Philippe had a limited programme. The following year he was on the move again, this time to Toyota Team Europe. It was with the Cologne outfit that he forged what would be long-standing links with Didier Auriol. He worked as Didier's gravel-note crew, but was also TTE's reserve co-driver. He was pressed into action for the 1993 1,000 Lakes Rally alongside Juha Kankkunen. Despite this being his first event with the legendary Finn, the pair won.

More of the same
Following his first world championship win the previous year, 1994 meant more co-ordination and gravel-crew work with Toyota. His co-driving experience was further enhanced, however, by contesting the French Rally Championship with Francois Chatriot in a Celica. Corsica, 1995, brought another front-line WRC outing - this time with Auriol. For the second time, Denis won on his WRC debut with a driver. Toyota's exclusion from the following year's championship meant a quiet season for Auriol and a chance for Denis to sit with another driver: Armin Schwarz.

Familiar faces
Denis and Didier returned to Toyota for 1998 and '99, coming close to the world championship in the second of those two years - and taking the honour of being the only crew ever to win a WRC round in China. A season at Seat preceded a move to Peugeot which would net Denis his most recent outright world rally win: Catalunya, 2001. Since then, Denis has co-driven for Thomas Radstrom at Citroen and Auriol at Skoda, before turning his attention to France's up-and-coming rally talent in the form of Nicolas Bernardi - with whom he won the Junior World Rally Championship category in Monte Carlo last season - and now Stephane.

Subaru WRT
8/2/05