“A life without a dirt bike was not possible for me”

There are plenty of riders who have made history in rally-raids, as well as in the Dakar. Meoni is an illustrious name that still echoes today, bringing to mind the achievements of the late Fabrizio, 2-time Dakar winner in 13 appearances. Before his passing in 2005, Fabrizio and his son Gioele had promised each other that one day they would contest the Dakar together. Unfortunately, they couldn’t fulfil that dream, but Gioele is now preparing to make his debut in the world’s most prestigious rally-raid, 22 years after his father’s last victory. The Italian initially raced in motocross and in enduro at regional and international level. He put his career on hold in 2014 to focus on his computer science studies. He founded the WHIP company, which is developing an app for riders and cyclists’ safety on expeditions. Obviously, the passion was still there. So, after several years of effort and sacrifice, he managed to bring together some of his father’s former sponsors around a common project: Dakar 4 Dakar. He had to take part in the Rallye du Maroc to gain access to the Dakar. Even though he had to retire after dislocating his shoulder on stage 4, Gioele Meoni was able to impress and convince the organization to allow him to take part in the Dakar. Backed by Cyril Despres in this journey, Meoni is hoping to make it to the finish line. His bike will then be auctioned off, and all the profits will go to the Fabrizio Meoni Foundation, dedicated to building schools in Senegal.

GM: “I got my first motorbike for Christmas in 1994, at the age of 3. Since then, I’ve always ridden bikes, just for fun until 14. Then, I raced in motocross until the age of 24. I won two regional MX1 Championships in 2011 and 2012 and finished in the top 10 in the Italian MX1 Championship in 2012. After a big crash in 2014, I stopped until 2020. A life without a dirt bike was not possible for me. So, I started thinking about Dakar 4 Dakar project and I trained hard, competing in some enduro races in Italy and riding my first rally-raid in Morocco last October. When I told my mum that I wanted to race at the Dakar, she said I would have to train every day. She knows very well what has to be done for that with my father: minimum 4-6 hours of training every day. I started slowly and now, after one week of training with my friend Cyril Despres, I understood that it’s never enough. I try to do my best every day, cycling and pushing in every weather conditions, not to win but to ride safely. For sure my goal for the Dakar is to finish every stage with a good pace, but above all preserving my body and the bike. I know that the Original by Motul category in my first Dakar will be hard, so I must listen to my mind, not my throttle. Dakar 4 Dakar project started because when I was 13. I had a dream with my father to do the Dakar together on my 18th birthday. The dream has slightly changed but it was still there.”