Federico Buttò plans to race Dakar for the first time in the Classic instead of the Rally. He will take part in a Mitsubishi Pajero III 3.2 DI-D prepared by R Team.

Buttò won the 2024 Campionato Italiano Cross Country e SSV, claiming victories at the Baja Colline Metallifere and the Raid of the Champions in Hungary. This also included crossing over into series like the FIA European Baja Cup when it visited his home country for the Italian Baja.

He finished ninth in the 2025 Trofeo SSV standings but scaled back his schedule as he began prepping for a run at the Classic. In what one could call an ironic opening of a new chapter, his last start with the Can-Am Maverick X3—the TransAnatolia Rally in Turkey—ended with the UTV on fire due to a fuel leak.

The Pajero made its debut at the Tunisia Challenge last October. Competing in the Adventure TT3 class, he won the Prologue and Stages 2 and 5 to finish second overall. He was partly slowed down by the car getting stuck in the sand during the third stage that dropped him to fourth before clawing back up.

Earlier this month, Buttò raced the Maroc Challenge with Gabriella Ascenzo as his navigator. However, his usual SSV co-driver Emiliano Tinaburri will be by his side for the Dakar Classic.

He described his campaign to get to Dakar as being taken “step by step”.

The 66-year-old previously did races like the Hellas Rally Raid on a bike. His daughter Giulia, a kart racer, also took part in the Maroc Challenge in a Nissan Patrol.

Featured image credit: Mrc Sport