Press attaché to André Dessoude since 2002, Lydie Arpizou started her medical studies but had an accident after 3 years into her studies, and decided to turn to a business school. "Then I had an on-the-job-training with an agency called Promocourse, that specialized in motorsport; I ended up staying there for 10 years, explains Lydie. When we had the Nissan budget, I went straight into the world of rally-raid and I just fell in love with it! I became a fan! I thought that leaving the scene I would have found it so hard to get back in the saddle, but here everything is to the power of 10! It is a world apart in which you live so many both human and sporting adventures and where you learn a lot about yourself... And there is no rivalry either between the people as it is the case in other motorsports... The rally-raid is just a big family. I love it that rallies take us to new continents, new countries and new people... On the Dakar, you meet as many local inhabitants as contenders. Here you can write the most beautiful stories that revolve around the raid. Long live the Dakar; it is life-changing... My job is to talk with the drivers of the Dessoude team when they arrive and to write a press release that talks about their days, their joys and their pains... Then I send the press release to a press listing. As to being a woman here, it never bothered me at all. It just takes a little bit of character. Let's say that it is slightly less practical to be a woman but you get used to anything, really!"