“We talk to our cars”
Crew facts
ADM
- After touring the world with his camper and Italy with a moped, Alessandro De Meo takes on the Saudi desert aboard a Mitsubishi Pajero he knows inside out: he helped prepare it for two friends ahead of the Dakar Classic 2025 and spent the last months refurbishing it for another assault.
- The young autodidact is ready for an intense adventure in the desert, where he will be responsible of driving and repairing the car when problems arise.
- A former integrator of military defence systems, De Meo embraced his passion for the great outdoors as he became a travel coordinator for Claudio Pelizzeni, who now embarks in the Dakar Classic adventure as his navigator.
CP
- Claudio Pelizzeni has lived thousands of adventures and shared them to the world through his books, videos and photos, as well as the travels he designs with Sivola, the tour operator he co-founded.
- In May, Pelizzeni will be diving in Japan, exploring the sea and his own attraction for the depths… But right now, the Saudi desert calls him alongside Alessandro De Meo, a travel coordinator at Sivola: “I’m kind of his boss, and now we switch!
- His first participation in the Dakar Classic sees him join a world already explored by his cousin Paola Pelizzeni, a reference among Italian bikers.
Ambition
A.D.M.: “The Dakar Rally has been a lifelong dream for me. This world is certainly very niche and not easy to get into. So, over the past four or five years, I have tried to make the right contacts to get closer to it, and last year I helped Henry [Favre] and Ale [Iacovelli] prepare their car. Then I bought it and since April I've been in the workshop every day to get it ready for this Dakar.
Once I managed to buy the car and find the right contacts, I needed a navigator. Claudio was excited about the idea. He also supported me financially, so we embarked on this adventure. The only thing is that he knows absolutely nothing about mechanics, so I'll have to take care of all the repairs and so on, which will be really tough. I'm a little scared about that. I don't want to work on serious problems on the car after a 10-12 hours drive!
Just participating is definitely a great achievement but given the whole investment into this project, it would be wonderful to reach the finish, safe and sound. The RallyClassics Africa was great. It got us to see some critical issues with the car and I got very confident with the dunes. So, I feel very calm and confident when driving.”
C.P.: “Coming to the Dakar is the realization of a childhood dream. I grew up watching the Camel Trophy, the Inca Rally, and Paris-Dakar. These are the things that get you passionate about cars as a child. To me, it wasn't about speed, but I've always been passionate about off-roading, deserts, and so on. The desert is magical and nights in the desert are really beautiful.
When Alessandro asked me to be his co-driver, my first reaction was to tell him he's crazy. Then I said: 'Well, you know I don't know anything about engines, I can't fix them, but I don't back down from any challenge and, above all, I learn very quickly. If that's enough for you, I'm willing to go with you.' I said yes because it's a unique opportunity'.
Alessandro and I have a very strong passion for the outdoors. He has a camperised Jeep Cherokee, I have an old camperised Defender, so we like to go off-roading, enjoy the experience and sleep in our vehicles. We really talk to our cars. It's completely idiotic, but it's a visceral relationship that you have with the vehicle in question."
