A sense of adventure…

As far as leaps into the unknown are concerned, Gianpaolo Bedin is taking things to the extreme. He will be participating in his first Dakar next January, like many others, but is adding even more doses of uncertainty to the make-up of his project.

A motor sports enthusiast, this former engineer for the Minardi and Osella Formula 1 teams has designed a buggy by himself, a labour of love on which he has worked for almost ten years: “It’s a crazy idea to build your own car to take part in the Dakar.

A preview of adventure...

Photo by: A.S.O.

Now, I just hope it will get to the finishing line, regardless of the position,” explains the Italian.

To succeed in this challenge, Gianpaolo has raised the stakes even further by counting on a co-pilot that he has not even met yet.

Argentinean Mauro Lipez, the man who will be finding himself in the passenger seat of the Raitec Buggy, explains the steps which led to him being recruited as co-pilot: “This time, Hernan Roberti, my usual driver for the last two editions, is not able to take part.

So, I simply posted a message on the dakar.com website’s forum to offer my services. Two months later, I received an e-mail from Gianpaolo Bedin. He was looking for a navigator who was at ease in the countries which the Dakar will visit.

I’m pretty sure of my capacities, because last year I didn’t make a single mistake, not even a deviation of 50 metres! As a result, we’ll be driving for the first time together on the first stage. It’s a bit like a fairy tale!”

DAKAR