The Sardegna Rally Raid was born from an idea of Tiziano Siviero. The World Champion together with Miki Biasion had already invented the Por Las Pampas in Argentina and for over 10 years he was the designer of the Dakar. Then, one day, he told himself: “I want everything I have experienced in the World of Rally-Raids to be captured in a special event in a special place!”. The interview
Abstract
Origin and vision. The Sardegna Rally Raid, supported by the Region and ACI, was born from an idea of Tiziano Siviero, former co-driver for Miki Biasion and designer of the Dakar in South America. Driven by “pure passion,” Siviero decided to recreate the authentic adventure of rally-raids, which in his opinion was being lost. Sardinia, with its maze of natural roads, is the ideal place to combine adrenaline and adventure, both taking from and giving value back to the territory.
Event structure. There are two races that meet only at the night bivouac: the Italian Motorally Championship (with 300 participants) and an event candidate for the World Rally-Raid Championship, with categories for motorbikes (valid for the FIM Europe Moto Baja European Championship), cars (Italian Cross Country Championship), and Classic, inspired by the Dakar, with “strong” regularity and a more tourist-friendly version.
Route and philosophy. Siviero has designed tracks with variations for motorbikes (more technical) and cars (smoother), with continuous changes of pace to keep concentration and fun high. The road book is insidious: the Sardinian forests are a “splendid labyrinth” in which it is easy to get lost. The adventure also includes discovery, without revealing too much.
Olbia, May 12, 2026. There is the blessing (and much more) of the Sardinia Region, the Automobile Club of Italy, the FoReSTAS Agency, the Municipality of Olbia and the Administrations crossed by the Rally. And there is the gigantic work of the men of AC Sassari and the Moto Club Insolita Sardegna. This is the force dedicated to making the Sardegna Rally Raid a reality. But where does what some already call “the Dakar in Sardinia,” or “the Dakar in Paradise” (which is the same thing) originate? It comes from an idea of Tiziano Siviero.
Co-driver for Miki Biasion, two-time WRC World Champion, creator of the Por Las Pampas Rally, for over ten years “designer” of the Dakar in South America. Let’s stop here. It is Tiziano Siviero who designed in his mind, and concretely developed with an exceptional task force, the idea of a Rally-Raid in Sardinia. He doesn’t have much time, we apologize; the days leading up to the Event in Paradise, May 15-17, are… hell of last things to do and validate. However, we manage to corner the “author” and get some answers to questions close to our hearts.
“Designer”, philosopher, route setter. Is there one of these definitions that suits you? How were you “born”?
Tiziano Siviero. “None, I’d say, and saying ‘work’ isn’t correct either. How was I born? I use a rather overused word, but one that captures me best: passion. It’s for pure, inexhaustible passion that I approached Rally, the Dakar, and Rally-Raid. It became my life. So then. Traditional rallies, like the WRC, were born as a challenge. Regular roads and long distances, prime example the centenary Rallye Monte-Carlo. We would start from all over Europe, in winter with snow, to reach the principality. The right ‘mix’ of adrenaline and adventure, Rallies conquered five continents. They were true motorcycling marathons. From one of these, a Rally that started from Europe and ended in the Ivory Coast, a participant lost in the desert, Thierry Sabine, rewrote the idea and created the father of all Rally-Raids, the Paris-Dakar. In almost fifty years, the two specialties have split the initial ‘mix’. The adrenaline component remained in traditional Rallies, the adventure ingredient became the heart of Rally Raids. I was infected by both, and I’ve never recovered!”
And so Sardinia
TS. “I started thinking about a Rally Raid in Sardinia because I wanted to recreate that part of adventure that was being lost. Inspired by the maze of natural roads that Sardinia offers, an authentic heritage, I thought of combining experience with passionate drive and conjugating the verb of Adventure in an simply ideal place… But you can’t just take, you have to want to give. At that point, we asked ourselves how to create an event that would bring real value to the territory. Friends chatting, talking, meeting, planning in a fantastic crescendo, that’s how the Sardegna Rally Raid was born: 2 races that meet only at the night bivouac – the Italian Motorally Championship and the event candidate to become a date on the World Rally-Raid Championship.
The Motorally with the beautiful route by Antonio Scanu and its 300 participants, and the Candidate event for the World Championship which, like the Dakar and other classics, will have two categories competing. The motorbike category, which will also be valid for the FIM Europe Moto Baja European Championship, and the car category, valid for the Italian Cross Country Rally Championship with an increased coefficient. I designed the route for the Candidate event with different sections for motorbikes and cars, so as not to ease navigation for the cars which will start one hour after the motorbikes. The starts and finishes of the Selective Sectors for the Candidate event will be the same for both categories. Also within the Candidate event, there will be the Classic category, like in the Dakar. ‘Strong’ regularity, with imposed times that won’t be easy to respect given the nature of the route, and a more tourist-oriented Regularity class, easier and more pleasant to stay within the time limits and enjoy the scenery Sardinia offers.”
An interesting context, intriguing, I’d say. But for those who are already taking part, what can we add about the routes, the difficulties, the basic characteristics?
TS: “Well, what I can say is, first of all, maximum attention to the road book. The forests and dirt tracks of Sardinia can become a splendid… labyrinth. I can tell you that in that fantastic maze of trails, it’s very easy to get lost. I have two main principles in my ‘philosophy’: one is safety, the other is that competitors must have fun. So I imagined a route that makes life interesting for motorbikes and cars. In essence, more technical and guided sections thinking of the motorbikes, smoother ones for the cars. Not huge differences, rather great attention to the ‘mix’ of terrains so that everyone has fun.
As Natalia says, many changes of rhythm, the best antidote to boredom. All in a great blend of very technical trails and others that are faster, of complicated and tight road book notes alternated with sections where you can catch your breath. With these continuous changes, it’s easier to keep concentration high and always find moments and reasons for stimulation and fun. Add the wonderful and varied nature of the Island, its incredible variables, the scenery and context, I’d say unique, and we all understand what we’re talking about. I can’t and won’t tell you more. Adventure is also about discovery, feeling fulfilled by success. And don’t ask Paolo Ceci, the expert ‘dakariano’ who is our luxury ‘validator’, I think his lips will be sealed!”
Thank You!
Sardegna Rally Raid Press Office
Piero Batini (pbatini@gmail.com)
Sardegna Rally Raid. FIA-FIM Rally-Raid World Championship Candidate
Auto: Campionato Italiano Cross Country e SSV
Moto: Campionati Italiani MotoRally e Raid-TT, Europeo Baja
Epicentro: Olbia
Organization:
Automobile Club Sassari and the support of Moto Club Insolita Sardegna
Con il sostegno dell’Automobile Club d’Italia e della Regione Autonoma della Sardegna
www.sardegnarallyraid.com
info@sardegnarallyraid.com
press@sardegnarallyraid.com
Sportity: S2R26FIA, S2R26FIME
