N°900 Classic R TEAM

MARCO GIANNECCHINI

(ita) 1.75m / 85kg

Loisirs

Motorcycles, cars, collectibles

Sponsors

Vegal hotellerie Viareggio; Gastronomia Parducci, Capezzano Pianore; Panconi Catering, capezzano Pianore, Camaiore; Mokalux caffè Firenze; Beach Bar, lido di Camaiore, Lucca

2023: 56th Dakar Classic, 1st from the H0T class
2022: 35th Dakar Classic (co-pilot with Antonio Ricciari)

Rally and Rally Raid until 1994

Interview

“It won’t be easy to repeat victory”

Marco Giannecchini and Luca Macrini first ventured in the Dakar Classic in 2022, but the 2023 edition gave a whole other dimension to their off road adventures. A navigator for his maiden participation, Marco moved behind the wheel of an Iveco Cargo to fulfil the dreams nourished by his long term passion for an event he deems “the longest and most difficult race in the world”. The Italian driver knows what he speaks about, with his experience in rally and rally-raid already in the 1980s and 1990s… And he did so well that he dominated the H0T class. By his side, his mechanic Luca Macrini makes no doubt that participating in the Dakar has been life changing for him, especially after last year’s exhilarating experience: “We didn’t even feel the tiredness!” The world’s greatest rally now occupies him all year long, working on the R Team vehicles to get them ready for the event. His reward will come in the Saudi desert.


M.G.: “Last year went great because, although we provided rapid support to, we finished first in our category which was a huge satisfaction for my first time driving a truck. It was a fantastic experience. Starting from the back, we saw many cars stuck in the sand, we helped them and we built beautiful friendships with French, Czech… It was beautiful. And then, stepping on the podium, receiving our prize from Jacky Ickx… It was really moving.
This year, I return to drive the truck with Luca still by my side. Let’s see what we can do. It won’t be easy to repeat victory but we’ll try, we’ll give it our best. And in the future, I’d like to move from the Classic to the original race. It’s a dream… I’m also moved to return. It’s not just about the 14 days of racing. The preparation in itself is a beautiful thing. The team is very close to my home, so we see each other a lot, it’s a strong relationship, not only during the race.”


L.M.: “The Dakar 2022 was my first participation, and you never forget your first love. I returned with good memories but 2023 was a better experience. I was fortunate to do it with the perfect crew. We were three friends enjoying ourselves from start to scratch, we didn’t even feel the tiredness. We helped everyone that would need it, may they be from our team or not. And on top of that, we won our class, so I believe it was the perfect Dakar!
The Dakar is an event that defines your life. You work for it all year long. You speak ill of it but you miss it so much. It’s a life goal, a means to confront yourself with your limits. It has changed my life and it has become a job. It’s the most beautiful event.
The hardest part is ahead of the race, all the months of preparation. We need to get everything ready and it feels like there isn’t enough time. But this year, our team manager Renato Rickler has gifted me two days of driving during the race, in recognition of all the work I’ve done on the truck.
The bivouac is the most beautiful thing in the Dakar, with incredible warmth. People from all around the world share the same passion. We go through the same emotions, we cry, we laugh. We’re kids again. It’s a game but it’s a brutal one. It brings out everything we have inside of us.”

Véhicule

R TEAM

IVECO EUROCARGO
R TEAM

  • IVECO
  • EUROCARGO
  • R team
  • R team
  • Classic Truck (Moyenne Basse) 87-96

Classement 2024

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