Laurent Rigal
Laurent Rigal | |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | French |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, Sports commentator |
| Employer | Voltage (2001-2003) |
Laurent Rigal is a French sports journalist. After working for Motors TV and Eurosport, he joined Canal+ in March 2019. He has been the commentator for MotoGP Grand Prix races alongside Randy de Puniet since March 2022.
Biography
[edit]Origin and family
[edit]Laurent Rigal is the son of Hubert Rigal, a former motorcycle racer who finished 6th in the 1973 Bol d'Or.[1] During his adolescence, Laurent raced in the Aprilia Cup.[2] In parallel, he developed a passion for music and became a DJ, particularly performing in beach bars near Soorts-Hossegor during the summer.[2]
Career
[edit]From 2000 to 2002, he attended the radio school Studec.[2] From 2001 to 2003, he hosted shows on the Voltage radio station, particularly presenting the evening show Double F. He also had a stint on Europe 2.[2]
In 2004, he had the opportunity to intern at Motors TV, where he quickly signed a contract.[2] He regularly commented on various motorsports events and also produced segments.[2]
In 2015, he joined Eurosport.[1] He began commenting on Moto2 and Moto3 Grand Prix races.[2]
In 2019, he moved to Canal+, which had just acquired the broadcasting rights for these two categories as well as MotoGP.[3] He is now part of a team including Louis Rossi, Sylvain Guintoli, Marina Lorenzo, Randy de Puniet, and David Dumain.[4] His role is to comment on Moto2 and Moto3 Grand Prix races, similar to what he did at Eurosport.[1]
In early 2022, he was chosen to replace David Dumain in commenting on MotoGP races alongside consultant Randy de Puniet.[5][6] The other two categories will now be covered by Antoine Arlot.[1] He punctuates each start of the Grand Prix with an exclamation, "Et boum!"[6][7]
In 2023, his commentary on French rider Johann Zarco's first MotoGP victory was noted.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Ludovic Galtier. "Canal+ : Laurent Rigal nouveau commentateur des courses Moto GP". ozap.com. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Sacha Nokovitch (5 March 2022). "Total «Rigal» pour le MotoGP". L'Équipe. No. 24676. p. 38. ISSN 0153-1069. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ AFP. "Canal+ arrive sur les circuits de MotoGP en 2019". lepoint.fr. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ "Canal+ dévoile son dispositif MotoGP". franceracing.fr. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ "Laurent Rigal nouveau commentateur Moto GP de Canal+". lequipe. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ a b Jacques-Alexandre Essosso. "Laurent Rigal : «Visuellement, la moto est un sport très impressionnant»". lettreaudiovisuel.com. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ Florent Barraco. "Êtes-vous MotoGP ou Formule 1 ? Le match Laurent Rigal et Julien Fébreau". tvmag.lefigaro.fr. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ Quentin Marais. "VIDEO. "Allez, respire !" : le finish mythique de la première victoire de Johann Zarco, en MotoGP". centrepresseaveyron.fr. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
