Looking for someone to cheer for in the 2013 Dakar Rally? Then how about Hugo Payen, a French racer competing on a Yamaha WR450F. Payen is racing in his seventh Dakar Rally, with his best result a 48th place finish in 2011. As of this writing, Payen is 61st overall on Stage 5 of the Rally after starting the day in the 67 spot.

Payen competes in a category called “Malles Moto” or “Motorcycle Trunk”. That means he competes without a support team, relying only on storage trunks of tools and supplies that race organizers transport from stage to stage. But that’s not why Payen has drawn a lot of attention. It’s because he’s sponsored by porn.

Or to be more specific, Payen is sponsored by Marc Dourcel, a French producer of pornography. This is actually the third year Dourcel has sponsored Payen’s Dakar effort. Payen followed up his 48th-place result with a 60th-place result in 2012, both times on a motorcycle dressed in livery promoting Dourcel’s work. Last year, his bike featured an image of Russian-born French porn star Anna Polina. Continue Reading »