Hubert Auriol and the tragic death of the mother of his children a few weeks before his death

Hubert Auriol died on Sunday January 10, 2021 at the age of 68, three years ago to the day. He died at Garches hospital, after a cardiovascular accident and a fierce fight against illness (he suffered from myeloma, a form of blood cancer, and covid-19). A huge shock for his daughters Julie, Jenna and Leslie who a few weeks earlier had already lost their mother Caroline, who had already been separated from the pilot since 2003. She had lost her life in a bicycle accident which had occurred in the park from Saint-Cloud. A place located close to her home that she frequented daily.

“Caroline was a great sportswoman, a fan of running and cycling, at 64 years old – she was born on August 26, 1956 – she went out every day to train and keep in shape“, explained the journalist Gilles Gaignault on his site AutoNewsInfo. Before adding: “She managed an English events company (…) a job that requires a lot.” Then to specify: “She learned about events in the desert, she looked after the career of Hubert, a huge figure in the rally raid, which left her man time to devote himself solely to racing.” We finally learned thanks to him that his funeral took place in the Saint-Paul Saint-Louis Church in Paris. She was then buried at Cap Ferret.

As for Hubert Auriol, his funeral took place in the Temple of the Oratory of the Louvre in Paris. As a reminder, he won the prestigious Paris Dakar motorcycle rally in 1981 and 1983. Before winning the competition in 1992, but this time as a car driver, with Philippe Monnet at his side. He then became the first man to win the rally on a motorcycle and a car. But he was later forced to end his motorcycle career after a serious injury in 1987. He fractured both ankles. Between 1995 and 2004, he was director of the Dakar.

Hubert Auriol, presenter of Koh-Lanta

Note that he was also quite an airplane pilot since in 1987, he became the holder of the world tour record in a propeller plane, at the controls of a Lockheed 18, with his fellow adventurers, Henri Pescarolo, Patrick Fourticq and Arthur Powell. They had then spent 88 hours and 49 minutes in the air. Nicknamed “the African” (he was born in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia on June 7, 1952), Hubert Auriol also had a career in television since in 2001, he became the presenter of the first season of Koh Lanta.

As for his private life, he didn’t talk too much about it. But we know that following his divorce from Caroline, he was in a relationship with Séverine Vinçotte before starting a new life alongside businesswoman Soumia Malinbaum, sister of director Yamina Benguigui. He had also become a grandfather in recent years to two granddaughters.