“A great source of pride”

Over two decades after their first Dakar adventure, Riccardo Garosci and Rudy Briani return in the same model Nissan Terrano 2 in which they made their 2000 debut. It will be their fifth crack at the desert rally, with vastly experienced 2007 T2 Rally Raid world champion Garosci proud to participate in different Dakar terrains spanning Africa, Latin America and now Asia. The sands of Saudi Arabia are sure to provide yet another new challenge for the 67-year-old and longtime co-driver Briani, adding to their long list of international events together spanning Russia, South Africa, Morocco, Egypt and Italy. Nonetheless, this year’s Dakar will mark their first entry in the Classic category.

R.G.: “It’s a great source of pride for me to participate in the Dakar on so many different continents, but I feel this first time in Asia could be the most difficult because of the unfamiliar terrain. Each sand is different, and so it’s only once we get there that I can familiarise myself with the conditions and challenges ahead.This will also be my first Dakar Classic. I can’t wait to experience the unique spirit of this competition and, of course, reach the finish.”

R.B.: “23 years after our first Dakar, we will compete again with the same model of car. So it’ll be back to the future with a historic petrol-powered Terrano prepared by Tecnosport as we take on this brand new terrain and make our debut in the Classic category. I believe it’ll be a challenge to maintain the right speed, as it will be a very high average. This will probably make navigation difficult, so I’ll need to concentrate to ensure we are not penalised too much.”