Giuseppe Simonato will bring his former Dakar Rally service truck as a competitor to the 2025 Dakar Classic. Simonato and his crew, navigator Alessio Bentvoglio and mechanic Irene Saderini, will inhabit an IVECO Magirus with modifications so that it operates on on biofuel made using byproducts and waste without palm oil or raw food material.

Magirus is a German truck brand from the IVECO family, with Simonato’s truck previously being used as an assistance vehicle for Dakar Rally competitors in the 1980s. Simonato himself has been involved with the race since the 1990s, with 2025 marking his 19th time taking part.

Simonato and his Magirus finished 58th overall at the 2024 Dakar Classic for Tecnosport, second among trucks in the H2T.B subcategory. Afterward, he decided to form GeaLife Motorsport with plans of expanding to field multiple IVECOs starting 2026. Tecnosport will provide support for the team.

“These trucks are built and prepared by the team with the best technical experience,” Simonato told the FORMULA TRUCK show on GO-TV CHANNEL. “Even though we are young, we have all the aspects and services necessary to run the race. From the technical side, which I have the honor of coordinating, to the logistical and organizational and administrative side, to communications and press.

“Our team is split into teams with a general coordinator who’s the team manager and supervises all these activities. We are a team that is growing.”

The truck was prepared by IVECO Orecchia, while Sabio Fuels provided the biodiesel fuel. Sabio touts its fuel as reducing carbon dioxide emissions by up to 90 percent compared to regular diesel.

“We are proud to carry the IVECO flag because we believe in the performance and solid legacy that IVECO has built in the history of the Paris–Dakar,” concluded Simonato.

Featured image credit: GeaLife Motorsport