“Hi Mom, I’m at the Dakar”
IN BRIEF…
- When the passion calls… Henry Favre (29 years old) and Alessandro Iacovelli (26) make for a young and enthusiast crew in the Dakar Classic 2025
- The duo put their heart and soul en route to their first participation in the most iconic rally-raid, buying a Mitsubishi Pajero from 1990 and turning it from “a wreck” to a vehicle that shall take them through the Saudi Arabia desert.
- Uncertainty lies ahead of them but they can’t wait to discover the Dakar, with dreams of participating again and again in coming years.
AMBITIONS 2025
H.F.: “I sold all the motorcycles I had to buy the 1990 Pajero. It had a roll bar and colored stickers; it really looked like a race car, it was unreal.
We spent months in the garage working on the car, in humility and recycling as many things as we could. We are very happy with our work, and having prepared the car ourselves, we should have an advantage in maintenance work.
We are happy to be part of the big Dakar family, and for us this is already a victory. If we had to do one meter of the route, we would be the happiest in the world. On the other hand, if we were to finish all the stages, it would be some “rodaggio” (“break-in”) and we will be ready for the next one.”
A.I.: “I'm only worried about the gearbox and my back. I've never been so many hours in a race car, but I think I'm ready.
I come from the world of motorcycle racing, where you have to navigate and drive at the same time: here it should be easier with a mate on board.
We prepared the car starting from a wreck. As we say in Italian: “O la va, o la spacca” (“make it or break it”). I've worked months on it, developing techniques to speed up maintenance but I can imagine there will be sweat every night working on it.
We show up at the Dakar with little driving experience, but a lot of desire to get our hands dirty and experience the best weeks of our lives. Hi Mom, I'm at the Dakar.”
