“Happy like a child, I've never had such a fast car”
En bref
ST
- Silvio, the youngest of the Totani brothers, was the first to participate in the Dakar, aboard Miki Biason’s truck in 2009. His next experiences in the rally-raid were shared with his brother Tito, aboard cars.
- Silvio and Tito took on the desert in South America (2012) and then Saudi Arabia (2022, 2024) aboard a Mitsubishi Pajero and a Nissan Patrol. It took lots of grit and passion to make it through the Dakar with outdated vehicles, but the car dealers are full of ressources!
- The 2026 edition sees the Totanis return to the Dakar aboard a buggy - the most performant vehicle they’ve ever taken to the desert. They want to see how much they can make of the Optimus MD, this January and in the coming years.
TT
- A car dealer with his brother Silvio, Tito Totani first ventured in the Dakar aboard a truck alongside the iconic Renato Rickler del Mare. The two brothers then united their strength aboard a Mitsubishi Pajero and a Nissan Patrol.
- Taking on the challenges of the Dakar with outdated vehicles, the Totanis showed the extent of their ressources and grit to survive the traps of South America (2012) and Saudi Arabia (2022, 2024).
- This year, Tito Totani returns to the Dakar as a navigator alongside his brother Silvio as the duo jump aboard a buggy - the most performant vehicle they’ve ever taken to the desert. They want to see how much they can make of the Optimus MD, in 2026 and in the coming years.
Ambition
S.T.: “I'm over the moon, happy like a child. It's a lifelong dream because I've never had such a high-performance, fast car. It's an important investment we've made. We're also aiming to do the next five Dakars together with my brother. And we hope to achieve an important result.
We started talking about the Dakar 2026 mid-summer but we made the final decision in October. This great opportunity came up with the MD team. We went to test the buggy in Morocco and it's really beautiful. It's a much better performing car than our old Patrol, which was reliable, but an old generation car. The French guys, MD, they are very good, and we'll have seven cars in the official team, so we'll be an important team. Clearly, it doesn't make sense to think about winning, but we're aiming for a good position in the standings. The car is light: 1,600 kg, a two wheel-drive with the possibility of deflating the rear tyres from the inside.
My brother and I get along very, very well. We are total opposites, so that's why we get on so well. We are now a well-established team, I drive and he navigates. It's important because, obviously, after 7 or 8 hours of driving, even 10 hours in the car, it's important to have a good relationship and a good feeling.”
T.T.: “The idea was to do several races in 2026 and then go for the Dakar 2027 but we decided to give it a go already. It's a very different car from the traditional one we had. It's also more comfortable. The problem is this: we made this decision suddenly, there were no races before the Dakar, so we're ready to go with a new car, a new driving style, everything new, and it will take a moment to get used to it.
We work very well with Silvio because we are completely different and therefore we complement each other in many ways. It's essential because you can't get in such powerful cars if you don't trust the person behind the wheel. Now, with this new car, we will have to take some different measures because everything is a little different, a little faster. We'll get used to it.
Our goal is always to finish. The keys are to have a little patience in the early days, in my opinion, to get to grips with a car like this and with the pace of the race, the notes, the waypoints. So you have to take it step by step and grow slowly every day.
I'm preparing myself physically, of course, as always, and also psychologically, trying to understand what is needed, what could happen, what will be new.”
