“I’m proud to be on the starting line again”
Crew facts
- Paolo Lucci comes from Castiglione Fiorentino, the same town as the late Dakar legend Fabrizio Meoni, and started rally-raid in 2012 after a background in motocross and enduro.
- He made his Dakar debut in 2022 but retired on stage 8 due to an engine failure. In 2023, he finished second in the Rally 2 category with BAS World KTM Racing and second overall in the W2RC, 17 points behind the winner Romain Dumontier.
- During Dakar 2024, he had to retire in the second week following a crash and crashed again in 2025 and finished the race in “experience” but not as a Dakar finisher.
- For Dakar 2026, Lucci managed to find the right budget to line up for another participation with the aim of achieving strong results in the Rally 2 category. During the year, he focused on the navigation.
Ambition
P.L: “My Dakar 2025 was quite tough. I had a big crash on Stage 12, and the bike was too damaged for me to finish, so I wasn’t classified as a finisher. This year I trained a lot, especially in navigation, and I’m really happy with the work I’ve done. I’m excited to be back for Dakar 2026 and see how this whole year of preparation pays off. It hasn’t been easy to balance everything as a private rider with sponsors, training, organization, but I’m proud to be on the starting line again.”
