GeaLife Motorsport will return to the Dakar Classic in 2026, this time with newcomer Giorgio Porello driving the IVECO Magirus.

He is on the board of directors for the Genoa-based Spediporto, one of the largest shipping and logistics firms in Italy. He approached general director Giampaolo Botta about using Dakar to get the company’s name out, an idea that Botta supported since “We ship a lot of goods all around the world, so why not ship one of our partners off to take part in such an important race?”

Genoa is also a major port city that Botta and Porello opined could serve as the Dakar Rally’s port of departure. Barcelona is the current port used to transport vehicles to Saudi Arabia for the race.

Porello has experience racing sports cars, competing in the 1994 Nürburgring 24 Hours and 1995 6 Hours of Vallelunga.

Giada Manocchi will serve as Porello’s navigator. She has been the co-driver for her brother Kevin and father Michele in the Italian national cross-country championship. In July, the siblings finished second in T4 among national drivers at the Italian Baja.

GeaLife’s IVECO Magirus was previously an assistance truck for Paris–Dakar Rally in the 1980s. Officially a Magirus 150.16 ANW, it is a 4×4 truck with a 200-horsepower engine, six-speed transmission, and a top speed of 110 km/h. The truck also operates on a biofuel made with byproducts and waste. Team co-owner Giuseppe Simonato has been involved with Dakar since the ’90s, while racing the truck at the Classic since 2023.

Simonato originally competed under the Tecnosport banner before creating GeaLife in 2025, operating in partnership with Tecnosport with plans of becoming more independent by 2026. He retired from this year’s edition after four stages because of an injury to navigator Alessio Bentivoglio.

The team will also bring two more IVECOs, a 190.30 and a Turbo Daily 35.10W.

Featured image credit: FOTOP