The Dakar Rally special series
Francesca Gasperi is an Italian co-driver participating in the 2025 Dakar Rally as a rookie. But this is over simplifying her story. She is a photographer chasing dust clouds, a journalist turned competitor, and a woman who refused to let the pandemic or closed doors extinguish her rally-raid ambitions. Through the dunes, financial hurdles, and the heartache of deferred dreams, Francesca’s mantra-never stop dreaming-propelled her from the sidelines to the Dakar’s starting podium. We had the opportunity to catch up with Francesca after the Dakar, here is her tale of how a restless spirit turned every “no” into fuel, proving that sometimes, the most extraordinary adventures begin when you dare to shift gears.
All photos © Francesca Gasperi
As an aspiring photographer and avid traveler, Francesca first embraced motorcycling as a means to reach her dream destinations. Covering 30,000 kilometers annually, riding became both her passion and part of her profession. “I started riding motorcycles at 19 years old. I fell in love with it completely. I was dreaming to be a photographer who travels alone riding motorcycles. Realizing this dream has been a very big achievement for me.”
After becoming a mother, Francesca shifted from open-road adventures to riding in the circuit for safety. Though she never competed professionally, the thrill of speed captivated her. Time spent in the paddock also sparked a new career path for her. “I started riding in the circuit. I really love the speed. While in the paddock, I met an editor-in-chief for a motorcycling publication in Italy. They loved my riding, and invited me to work with them as a journalist. I really appreciated their offer. I was travelling with them to many circuits all over the world to test bikes.”
From testing production bikes on the circuit for motorcycling publication, Francesca soon expanded to covering rally-raid events. “In 2000, the publication asked me to cover a rally-raid event in Tunisia. I’ve never been on any off-road events before at the time. The vast desert landscapes felt endless—it made circuit racing seem confined. It was nice to find out about this aspect of motorcycling.”
Having found out about the loveliness of off-road racing, Francesca became a photographer following rally-raid events. She would be riding alongside the competitors to capture dynamic shots at vantage points. So in a way, she is enjoying off-road motorcycling while exercising her skills as a photographer. Her speed didn’t go unnoticed in the process. “One day, a rider told me, you are really fast, you should be in the competition rather than being the photographer. This made me really think about it. As a photographer covering rally-raid, I’ve been to the Dakar Rally. I completely fell in love with the Dakar. It was like the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life. So naturally, when the idea of actually being a rider in rally-raid came, the Dakar became the ultimate goal.”
When the most difficult rally-raid on this planet became the goal for Francesca, she quickly got down to gathering some real experience as a rider in rally-raid. “I went into the Transanatolia Rally in Turkey in 2019, which was my first rally-raid race as a rider. It was a very nice experience. Even though I had some big troubles, I knew I loved solving them. I came first in the female category and 17th overall. It was a very big achievement, and unexpected for me. From then on, I would try to compete in at least one event. Of course it’s really expensive, so I may not be able to do more than one.”
Right after Francesca started enjoying her newly found love in rally-raid as a rider, the pandemic came. Like everyone else in the world, Francesca’s life and business were both affected. But when everything else stopped, Francesca went full-throttle to her ultimate goal. “When COVID arrived, I could not take photos any more since all my travels were blocked. But I decided to do something really big for myself, I made up my mind to really go for the Dakar. I was training a lot, and was trying to find sponsors. It was hard for me, but finally, I got my budget covered. I did the Andalusia Rally and the Morocco Rally to get in the Dakar. Unfortunately, about a month before the Dakar, I was told maybe I should try again next year.”
When my dream was blocked, I said, never stop dreaming. It was really important for me to let people see that you should never stop dreaming even during a time like the COVID era. The world was stopped, but not our dreams.
Not being able to participate in the Dakar wasn’t the end of Francesca’s effort in rally-raid. She soon found the next best thing to work for – Africa Eco Race. “When I was refused by the Dakar, I said, let’s go do the Africa Eco Race. So I put the money I raised for the Dakar in it. The 2022 edition of Africa Eco Race was the hardest ever they’ve had. I was the only woman that year. We raced through the desert in 51℃ heat. But my navigation was really good, and I had good rhythm, so another big achievement in the pocket. I came in 15th overall, and 2nd among Italian riders. It was of course sad that I couldn’t do the Dakar, but I’d say sometimes things happened because something nicer is coming.”
Competing in the Africa Eco Race was a result of not being able to participate in the Dakar, but in turn, great result in the Africa Eco Race led to Francesca’s eventual debut at the Dakar this year. “My preparation as a rider in all these rally-raid gave me enough experience in navigation. But there is a big difference in navigating for yourself and announcing what you read on the roadbook to a driver next to you. When Agostino, my driver, asked my partner Maurizio to be his co-driver, Maurizio was already committed to Laia Sanz’s team. So Maurizio suggested that Agostino consider me as his co-driver. At the time, I’ve never been been a co-driver before. But I met with Agostino, and it clicked. He was convinced that we could work as a team. So I started my training as a co-driver. I would practice announcing instructions on the highway with Maurizio. We did hours and hours of training in high speed, so I can transfer my thoughts to very effective quick instructions.”
Three years after being rejected by the Dakar, Francesca finally stood on the starting podium of this epic marathon. Her debut lasted for only five days, but Francesca’s optimism remains unshaken. “Even though we were not able to finish the race this year, it was still a fantastic experience for me. I think I did a good job for the five days that we were racing. I’m happy I could be part of this edition of the Dakar. I really enjoyed the race, and I hope we can be back again next year.”
I’m always a very positive person, even when there are dramatic things happening. I think my personality helps me a lot in rally-raids. You always need to push and be positive. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to find the strength to go ahead.
Francesca and her partner Maurizio both participated in this Dakar, but as competitors against each other. This is of course due to budgetary restrictions. But in the future, maybe, the couple can find enough money to race as driver and co-driver and enjoy the journey side by side. “Now I’m focusing on doing some races on a motorcycle again. I want to ride with Maurizio in a race. We re also doing some smaller rally in cars together in Italy. We of course dream to race in the Dakar as a team. He’s very fast as a rider, and a very good mechanic, I’m a good navigator. It sounds like a dream team. But going in as a team requires a lot of money. At the moment, we are happy being co-drivers on different teams. If we can find the sponsor, maybe one day, SSV is a cheaper category. I’m currently trying to find someone to sponsor us for smaller events.”
For Francesca, the journey continues. Whether on two wheels or four, her mantra endures: Never stop dreaming. With her relentless spirit, maybe we get to see Francesca realize another dream soon!
Paddock Sorority 
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