Toni Merendino, a two-time MotoGP champion manager with Gallina–Suzuki who later led Team Lucky Explorer Cagiva at the Paris–Dakar Rally, has passed away at the age of 73.

Merendino joined Roberto Gallina’s MotoGP team, which had a partnership with Suzuki, in 1980 after previously working as a coffee machine repairman. In 1981, Marco Lucchinelli won the championship in a 1–2 for Suzuki. The following year, Franco Uncini claimed the title for the team. Behind the scenes, Merendino was tasked with preparing technical reports for each race and formulating the team’s gameplan. He also led the Suzuki program under Davide Brivio’s Team DB.

As Suzuki was firing on all cylinders, they eventually gave him blessing to compete in the Dakar Rally. He signed up for the 1984 edition as the sponsor of a Mercedes-Benz 230GE. With Juan Porcar and Paolo Scalera riding too, the trio finished 65th overall.

“I found the car, Juan took care of the logistics, and Toni—who was the key man at HB—was the sponsor,” Scalera recalled in his eulogy.

“We finished it. And, I must say, it was thanks to Juan’s great navigation skills and Toni’s resilience at the wheel. He was able to stay glued to the steering wheel for a whole day, from dawn to dusk. He never got tired, and he smoked. He smoked continuously, one pack after another, so I started throwing all the packs I found scattered around the car into the desert because, between the GE’s 200 liters of fuel and the smoke, the Mercedes’ interior was worse than the death zone on Everest. The packs never ended. Toni, who started anticipating my moves, would then hide them behind the door panels. I only discovered this once we had reached Dakar.”

A year later, he assumed driving duties with Scalera calling the shots, though they retired. Still, the project eventually encouraged him to dive deeper into the rally world, and he was named the manager for Cagiva’s factory team.

Under Merendino’s watch, Lucky Explorer Cagiva became a staple of the early ’90s Dakars. Edi Orioli scored his second overall victory in 1990 on his Elefant 900.

In 2003, Merendino started Tom42. It is a travel agency that organizes motorcycle tours in southern Europe and Africa with the Yamaha Ténéré 700.

“Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and Yamaha Motor Racing extend their heartfelt condolences for the loss of a true pillar of the off-road, rally, and road racing community,” reads a statement from the manufacturer. “His passion, unwavering dedication to the world of two wheels, and his contribution to the growth of Yamaha experiences will remain forever in our collective memory.

“We stand with family and friends in this moment of grief.”