“What I really love is travelling”


January 2 nd 2020 - 19:30 [GMT + 3]

Olivetto
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 There are those who dream of battles, victories and triumphs and others for whom the Dakar rhymes with experiencing a journey and discovering new horizons. “This legendary race has always brought together very different people,” according to an old hand on the rally met at technical scrutineering. “Everybody comes looking for their own personal adventure”. For Matteo Olivetto, he is clearly participating this year to ride in a part of the world that has always fascinated him but where it is not always necessarily easy to visit. The 43-year old Italian from Padua in the Veneto region will be getting to grips with his second Dakar. “I first took part in 2017, he states proudly. “We set off from Paraguay to Argentina and Bolivia. It was magnificent, but unfortunately I broke my engine on the tenth stage”. Despite this major disappointment, the professional fireman has managed to get the funding together to have another crack at the Dakar adventure this year. “Coming to ride in Saudi Arabia has been a real source of motivation for me,” he admits. “I really like the countries of South America, but I’ve already been there almost twenty times. The opportunity of discovering a new country was very exciting for me”. Indeed, though he loves riding his bike and participates in the Italian rally championship, Matteo Olivetto is first and foremost a fan of travelling. “It’s my life,” he says. “On my bike or on foot with a back pack, what I really love is travelling around”. And how about racing? “The Dakar is the Dakar!” he replies immediately. For his second experience on a rally whose third edition took place the year he was born, the Italian rider will only be setting himself the goal of reaching the finishing line in Qiddya. To do this, along with his friends, he has carefully prepared a 450 cc KTM that he will be entering again, due to budgetary reasons, in the Original by Motul category. “I’m expecting a difficult route, but I love navigating,” he says. “In fact, I’m pretty good at that side of things…” This skill is likely to prove very useful to him.

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