N° 034 - TEAM DCA TRUST.COM

PISANO Michael FRA 22/09/1983

Vehicle

MODEL	MAKE
WRF 450	YAMAHA

Pisano Michael: « Do the same race as Peterhansel! »

Call it the bravado of youth. Michael Pisano is only 24-years old, but he is determined to take a big bite out of the Dakar. “When I was six I watched Peterhansel on TV and knew I wanted to do the same race as Peterhansel and with him:” These are the kinds of thoughts that make one want to achieve when, as we see with the physical education teacher from Ajaccio, one gets set for his first major rally. His only experience of riding in the dunes came on the 2007 Rally of Tunisia, where he finished 14th overall. “I have a good feel for the sand, more than on the rock covered tracks. I try to ride over the clean areas to find grip, where no one has already run.” The first days could be a bit difficult. “I’m apprehensive about the rocky sections in Morocco.” His strong run in Tunisia has boosted his confidence. “I came up with a couple of strong navigation moves; I was able to make a 30 km shortcut like some of other top riders.”

But will he experience the Dakar as something new? It I’ll be more like a reunion. “I caught the Africa bug. I was off form for two weeks after I returned from Tunisia. All I thought about was going back. As soon as I see the dunes it will all come back.”

It is about honouring the countries crossed and in thinking “everyday” about the adventure that awaits him, that Michael Pisano did so much physical training, going flat out from August 15 in the company of the only other Corsican on the Dakar, the very talented Michel Marchini. A very impressive companion for the young rider, who, nevertheless, knows he can count on the professionalism of the “veterans” of the HFP Off Road team. “With Michel, or even with David Frétigne, it is clear, there is some experience…” All that remains is for Michael to live the experience to the fullest, “without looking at the watch, even though I am a competitor at heart” and thinking of his family. “They have expended so much energy to help me accomplish my dream.”

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