“Here to share an adventure”
CREW FACTS
L.G.
- A former president of the Italian triathlon federation, Luigi Bianchi is fond of adventurous trips, by any means, in any environment.
- His biggest off-road trip to date got him to explore the Svalbard islands, in the Greenland Sea, with a snowmobile.
- He’s ready to face a whole different desert with a first participation in the Dakar Classic.
GS
- A lover of vintage cars, dreaming of the Dakar since he was a kid, with loads of experience in Italian and international off-road races - Gianluca Sbaraglia ticks all the boxes to have a blast in the Dakar Classic!
- Gianluca shares with his son Rocco a consuming passion for motors, especially Pontiacs, and especially the iconic Firebird. Together, they run a website dedicated to the Pontiac cars in Italy.
- Gianluca and Rocco both participate in the Dakar 2025, in separate crews. Next goal: tackling the most iconic rally-raid together in the same car.
AMBITIONS 2025
L.B.: “I’ve always loved to go on an adventure and the Dakar is a symbol. It’s the one race, the rally that means adventure. So, it was natural to head in that direction and I also saw the solidarity project with Damiano Lipani and Stefano Crementieri [Napoli Dakar - A road to employment] so it convinced me to bring together my own pleasure and the opportunity to give a hand in such a project.
I’ve prepared myself physically, with a coach, and mentally, also taking care of the nutrition in order to be in the best shape possible. The head drives the body, the emotions. A challenge like the Dakar, even in the Classic mode, is also very demanding mentally and that’s something that fascinates me.
Now I feel ready to take on this challenge against myself. I’m not racing against anyone, I’m here to share an adventure. If some good result comes, all the best, but the main goal is to make it to the finish.”
G.S: “I hope it will be the first of many participations in the Dakar. It’s always been a dream, since I was a kid, and I was approached to do it in 2008, 2009, but it didn’t happen so I really carried the idea that one day I would make it. I’m 55 years old and this is a lifetime passion.
The Mitsubishi Pajero is also a car I’ve always dreamed of. I get to do the Dakar with a car that inspired me since the 1990s and the Evolution is a proper off-road vehicle, designed for racing. I hope I’ll get to see my sons in the evening, also to discuss what we’ve seen during the day, to share this experience with him. He’s young, it’s a huge thing for him and I try to share a bit of my knowledge, I want to hear his questions and see what I can offer.”
