Riders have been anxiously checking their emails to see if the ASO has given them the thumbs up to race the Dakar Rally in 2027. Unfortunately for Giovanni Stigliano, he received the opposite.
It’s certainly a gut punch for the Italian, especially since he already has two Dakars under his belt as a Malle Moto rider. He made his debut in 2021, but retired during the marathon stage because the crankcase broke and the oil leaked into his Yamaha’s engine. The second attempt came on a KTM, only to end in a crash on Stage 8.
Although it had been over four years since his last Dakar, he continued to compete in rallies since. Stigliano finished 17th overall at the Africa Eco Race in 2024, then won the M5 category at the Rally Albania last year. He also dabbled as a navigator at the 2025 Rallye TT Guadalajara, calling the shots for Fabrizio Fassitelli.
There are promises you make to yourself when you’re still a child. Promises made in front of a television or a magazine, looking at photos of motorcycles in the dust speeding across the vastness of the desert. When you’re little, you only see the beauty of the journey, the adventure, the myth to be pursued. You can’t imagine the price that dream will ask of you years later.
No one ever truly explains to you how much it takes to chase a dream until it becomes a reality.
Chasing the Dakar for me has meant putting my entire self on the line. It took huge sacrifices, time, energy, doubts that surround you in the night, and bitter pills to swallow. But if you live with a certain hunger, and a genuine passion, you don’t make calculations: you give it all to the end and that’s it, because you know you can’t do it otherwise.
I keep telling myself: “One day, I’ll be there”; don’t stop, keep going. That day has come twice and passed, it has tested me, it has broken me, and it has raised me. I gave this dream every drop of what I had.
Today, I received the answer from the organization for Dakar 2027: my name is not among the shortlist. The organization has made its decision and unfortunately I won’t be among the participants.
No need to hide the bitterness. Accepting a ‘no’ when you’ve poured your soul over is one of those harsh lessons, a heavy blow and a silence that weighs like a night in the dunes. But the desert over the years has taught me first and foremost to respect its rules and accept what you can’t control.
I wanted to give myself one last dance. I wanted my story at Dakar to close the circle that was left open and give that child of a time that finish he always dreamed of. I walk away knowing I left nothing on the table. I have loved and will continue to love this race with all my heart.
Looking back, I see the richness of an incredible journey. I see that child who daydreamed and the man who always gave it his all, a dedicated heart and so much perseverance, never looking for shortcuts and never being afraid to fall.
He has been doing rallies like the Italian Motorally Championship since 2007. He took a four-year hiatus from the discipline due to health and family issues, during which he took up sports like open-water swimming, before resuming and making it to Dakar.
Outside of rallies, Stigliano races in enduro and motocross. He has represented Italy at the International Six Days Enduro, including competing for the Club Trophy at the 2025 edition for Team JB Rally ASD alongside Ivan Besenzoni and Giacomo Verzeletti.
Featured image credit: Charly López / ASO
Leave a Reply