Picco is back

Dakar 2021 | Stage 2 | Bisha > Wadi Ad-Dawasir
January 4 ^th 2021 - 09:00 [GMT + 3]

At age 65, Franco Picco is back in the Dakar. The Italian, one of the stars of the rally in Africa in the 1980s, wanted to get a taste of the Saudi experience after following the race to South America.

Time goes by, but the passion remains. 35 years after participating (and finishing on the podium) in his first Dakar, Franco Picco is returning to the legendary rally raid in which he wrote the best chapter of his career. His hair may be whiter, but his body is as vigorous as ever. The 65-year-old is tackling his 26th Dakar with the energy of a young man. "I ride my bike regularly to stay fit", he confesses mischievously. "It's how I take care of myself." Like everyone else, the events of 2020 stopped Franco from practising his passion as much as he would have liked. The man who finished runner-up in the Dakar in 1988 and 1989 was unable to go on the long rides in Africa he was used to. "However, I did a lot of enduro with my son", he says. He only made up his mind to enter the Dakar in October, leaving him with no time to raise a substantial budget and forcing him to sign up for the Original by Motul category. "I'm riding alone, so I'll have to count every effort. I'm relying on my experience to see me through. At any rate, I think the toughest part is already behind us. Making it to the start line after all the hurdles COVID threw our way…" The pandemic did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm about returning to the race for the first time since 2017. "I called it a day because I didn't find the South American deserts very interesting. Then, last year, I saw pictures of Saudi Arabia and felt the urge to come back to the race. After Africa and South America, I'm pleased to be a part of the third chapter of the Dakar, especially because I see it as a shared journey of discovery and friendship."