Daniele Santini, a journalist who was instrumental in growing the Italian Motorally Championship, was killed in a traffic accident on Thursday while heading to Dakhla for the Africa Eco Race’s rest day.

Covering the race for SoloEnduro, he had been traveling on a motorcycle alongside the race organizers’ vehicle convoy when the accident occurred roughly 300 kilometers from the bivouac. Piero Batini of Moto.it noted there was a crash involving a small pickup truck at 11 AM on Friday, though information otherwise is scant.

“It won’t be of much use; he won’t come back to us,” Batini wrote.

Nicknamed “DanSan”, Santini was involved in developing Italian Motorally from a single GPX category into a full-fledged series. He was also the president of the Moto Club Ténéré Italia.

“A transparent, polite, and calm person, he will always be remembered by the entire community,” reads a comment from the Federazione Motociclistica Italiana.

“The President of the Italian Motorcycle Federation, Giovanni Copioli, and the entire Italian Motorcycle Federation express their deepest condolences to the Santini family in this moment of profound sorrow.”

With SoloEnduro, he covered the Dakar Rally earlier in January before going to follow the Arica Eco Race in the same capacity. Santini had been prepping for the AER for two years.

SoloEnduro‘s website went dark for 48 hours to mourn his passing. Site owner Enzo Danesi gave the following statement:

Writing these lines is difficult, more than I can explain.

For two years, Daniele had been following the main international rallies for us at SoloEnduro, from the Dakar to the Africa Eco Race. He told their stories from home, with attention and passion, keeping us updated in real time, always present, always punctual.

He had just finished his daily coverage of the Dakar and was ready to leave to follow the Africa Eco Race up close. He had been preparing for this trip for two years. It was his passion, his dream. He wanted to experience it on the ground, tell it stage by stage, meet the riders at the end of the day, and give voice to their stories.

Daniele was part of the Motorally group. I had known him for four years, and he was a dear friend. A kind and discreet person, he spoke little about himself but gave so much to others. His smile said more than many words. The calmn, correctness, and respect with which he carried himself made him a reassuring presence, one of those people you trust without even thinking about it.

We will miss you, Daniele.

We will miss you very much.

Featured image credit: Federazione Motociclistica Italiana