“The time has come to make our dream come true”

Ottavio Missoni is one of the enthusiasts of the Dakar Rally since his childhood. After admiring the Caviga Lucky Explorer take the road to Paris for the Paris-Dakar, Missoni, famous fashion entrepreneur in Italy, said that one day he would participate in the world’s most iconic rally-raid. He planned to make it happen with his father, Vittorio, who put him on a motorcycle as a child, but fate decided otherwise. When the Lucky Explorer project came back to life 20 years later, Missoni thought it was the right time to achieve the dream he shared with his father. After some races in 2017, he pushed hard this year by lining up at the Andalucia Rally with a private Honda. Finishing P12 in Rally 2, he has secured his place to take part in his first Dakar, 10 years after the loss of his father, a beautiful tribute.

“Since I was a kid, my biggest dream was to compete in this race, when I watched the Cagiva Lucky Explorer Team leave the Cagiva headquarters and head to Paris for a great adventure. It is my adventurous spirit that drives me to challenge myself, always raising the bar. My father was the first person to get me on a motorcycle, my partner for many kilometres or riding. We would have wanted to do a Dakar together one day; unfortunately, the fate was different. But he is also the person who taught me to chase my dreams and here, fate can’t do anything about it… So, I decided to give it a shot! This year, with the Lucky Explorer project, the iconic brand that made me dream in my youth, gives me the opportunity to be part of its team for its return to the Dakar after more than 20 years. Why do I think this is the right year? Following the 2022 Dakar, something happened after I saw Andy and Aldo Winkler, son and father, finish it together. I told myself that in 2023, on the tenth anniversary without my father, the time has come to make our dream come true.”