“We keep the spirit of adventure”
CREW FACTS
G.V.
- After three decades in the Dakar, Giulio Verzeletti has lived many adventures, some classic -he’s participated with bikes, cars and trucks- and some unique -he’s completed the world’s most iconic rally with a Fiat Panda.
- The Italian veteran is nonetheless on for a new challenge with the 2025 edition, aboard an Iveco Powerstar -the most powerful vehicle he’s ever taken to the desert!
- Verzeletti was pushed to tackle yet another Dakar by his longtime partner in the desert, Antonio Cabini, a co-driver when they brought the PanDakar to Buenos Aires in 2017.
A.C.
- Going into the 2025 Dakar, Antonio Cabini has one of the most impressive records in the iconic rally-raid: 22 participations under his belt, with a first successful attempt in 1984, on a bike, and some unique adventures such as his participation in the “PanDakar” project.
- Cabini pushed his friend Giulio Verzeletti to take on yet another Dakar, for old times sake… And it led them to navigate an Iveco Powerstar brought by Italtrans.
- The Dakar is a long story of friendships for Antonio Cabini, but it’s also a family matter, with a third participation for his son Carlo. The two of them already were in the same truck in 2020.
C.C.
- At 26 years old, Carlo Cabini is the youngest member of the Orobica Raid crew but, as Antonio’s son, he has been immersed in the world of rallying as long as he can remember.
- The young physics graduate also has solid personal experience to back him, tackling some iconic events on his bike. He’s also put his navigating skills to the test on two occasions in the Dakar, twice in trucks.
2025 AMBITIONS
G.V.: “I was forced by one of my fellow adventurers, Antonio Cabini, who wants to come back at all costs. It had become a bit difficult for me with the Unimog but he said: ‘No, we have to come back, let's come back and attack with our usual rage.’ I said: ‘All right. You came for ten years with me, I'll come with you once.’ That's the main reason. Then everything changed a bit now, because Italtrans trusted me with one of their trucks. So, we don’t have a Unimog anymore, now we drive an Iveco like the one that won last year.
It’s kind of the last step, doing the Dakar with a very very high-performance truck. First, I did it because it’s the highest event for a motorsport enthusiast. Then, I fulfilled a dream with the PanDakar and it also became a bit of a job, doing things much more professionally. We even had Alex Caffi, a Formula 1 driver, race with us twice. And now we keep this spirit of adventure, of trying new things.”
A.C.: “First I did the Dakar by bike, from 1984 until 1992, then I returned in 2005, still on the bike, before we worked on the PanDakar with Giulio, which has been one of the most beautiful things to happen. And here we are, with a new truck, more competitive than in our last participation!
I’m the one who told Giulio to come this year. We’re getting older and we don’t know how many opportunities we’ll still have.
We’ve never had such a competitive truck. The first days will help us to get into the rhythm. And we also have an agreement with Claudio Bellina to give them a hand if necessary.
My son decided to join when he heard the truck was so competitive. It’s a beautiful thing to do it together as a family, along with my friends.”
C.C.: “For me, the Dakar 2025 will be a big challenge because we will be using a completely different truck from the one we usually have. We will therefore have to get used to the new vehicle, trying not to overdo it and make too many mistakes. The objective is definitely to finish all the stages of the race.
[Giulio Verzeletti and Antonio Cabini] have done a lot of Dakars together so they are very close and understand each other quickly, while I try to help out with navigation and when we have to make big efforts.”
