Thanks to all Adv Riders!! (Dakar)

I would really like to thank all of you guys for following and supporting me at Dakar. The mousse fundraising you did guys for me was a real honour and it helped me so much!!! Thanks to you i had the chance to race with a problem less on my mind.

For me this year Dakar was even harder to organize than last year and i still can't believe it i made it to the finish. About 1 week before the start in Lima i was still without the money for the airplane ticket and thanks to 2 Dakar riders: Laurent Meffre and Jes Munk, i was able to get the ticket to Lima. Thanks Laurent and Jes!

Once i arrived in Lima i met Vincenzo, a guy with italian origins that i had met randomly on Facebook and that had offered me help my letting me stay at his home in the days before the start and drove me around to do all my things like getting the bike from the port and so on. Thanks Vincenzo and Charo (his wife)

Just the day before the start and after verifying my bike i found a Team that carried all my bags, spare parts and helped me everytime i was in need. This was the Team Venezuela Rally (Cardona, Eraso and Querales) which seeing me like a total "desaparecido" working on my bike under the boiling sun they offered me to stick with them for all the Dakar and with their spanish mechanics (Pedrega, Alberto and Pedro) which every night after having finished the bikes they always checked also mine. Pedrega also brought from spain a big ham that every night he would cut and give us to eat hehhe Thanks Pedrega, Alberto, Pedro, Nicolas, Rafael and Gustavo!

Furthermore i have to thank my father that made me a surprise and flew in Peru on the 1st stage and stayed until 1 day from the finish. His presence was a real help since my parents are divorcing and its been a hard time for all my family and for me to concentrate. Thanks dad!

Simon Pavey, one of my Dakar idols and the rider that made me start dreaming about Dakar helped me by providing me his used tyres and mousse. Him, his family and his mechanics are really great people. Thank you!

Chavo Salvatierra towed me for 150km when i broke the bike on the last stage, he is a real friend since he was even in the top 30 and risked his race to help me. Thank you, you a real friend!

My grandparents that always support and cheer for me. My grandparents kept candles on for all the 15 days of race and prayed every night for me. Thank you so much you're the best grandparents i could ever desire!

The 2 girls i live with (you won't believe it they are 2 strippers from Romania) were working and sending on my credit card the money for the fuel (the day the Dakar started i had with me only about 200 euros which were not enough not even for the fuel to get to Santiago). So big thanks also to them and btw they got so into Dakar that even at work between one privè and the other they were checking always on the Dakar iphone app and texting me.

Mauro Sant (the mechanic of Barreda) and Ezio De Agostini, the 2 mechanics that provided me 2 days before the le havre shipping a bike to race with. Mauro always came by every night to check i was doing fine. Big thanks to you guys for giving me a bike with which i managed to get to the end without ever changing either engine nor piston.

Paco Martinez the Dakar angel that helped me 3 stages from the end dismounting and remounting my bike in the special when i had the problem with the "ghigliottina" of the carburator that broke and i had to ride almost all the Copiapo dunes with the throttle stuck wide opened, he rode with me all the time and stopped with me to let my bike cool down. He also towed me on the final ceremony on the final podium, here the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh_AhHjYELY

Thanks to the Tm Factory guys that had the spare part and refused to sell it to me, i was lucky i had with me an old almost broken used one that managed to get me through the last 2 stages. I regret a little i had that problem because until that point i was in front of the Tm Factory racing on my own..... infact they never mentioned me once on the press releases hehhe Unfortunately at Dakar the only people on which you cannot count on are generally the italians.

All of you that with the mousse fundraising gave me the chance especially on the marathon stage to start with a completely new set of tyres and mousse (i think i never rode with all new in my career hehehhe) and also all the support through Facebook during the nights in the bivouac was incredible. You really gave me a lot of support and made me feel really special! Thanks!!!!!

All the guys from all over the world that contributed by putting their names on my race jacket and made it possible for me to pay my entry.

I can't believe it so many people cheered and helped me out from all over the place, i feel extremely honoured and lucky to have had the chance at 24 years old to race and finish Dakar. This is the biggest achievement of my life and i managed to make it only thanks to all of you guys that have a true and genuine passion. Now that i have reached this goal my next one will be to get one day back to Dakar and try to race for a top result since this year i had the objective to do the first step and show i could finish and decided to ride really slowly because of the very little resources i had. I was so lucky to break down only on the last stage!!!!

For sure i didn't mention some people and i'm sorry because so many people helped that i would have to write pages!!

I will send to Ted parts of my Dakar roadbooks to send to all the Adv Mousse fundraising riders hehehe and soon i will try and make some cool tshirts. Furthermore here in italy, in Perugia i am working to put up a Rally School where riders can come during all the year to learn about navigation, rallies and Dakar or even simply come for adventure tours in the beautiful places that are in that region. Part of the money raised will be used to help my friend Gianluca Tassi (ex professional motorbike rider that unfortunately had a crash in Perù some years ago and ended in a wheel chair) get to race Dakar with a car (in the last years he raced some rallies with the Mitsubishi and Isuzu teams)

http://www.unodinoi.org/foto-gallery.asp?galleria_id=8

I don't know how to do but now i will upload some photos from my Dakar and from the bivouac that Juan (the photographer of the Venezuelan riders sent me) on my facebook page, if someone can help me post them here so i can share them with you.

Thanks again to all of you, without your help i would never of made it to Santiago :) you also proved me that nothing is impossible if you really want it because in the world there are still many people willing to help

Manuel Lucchese
Dakar Nr. 98

Manuel, nothing but deep respect for you! You deserved a finish and you got it, well done!!

+ 100 !! Well done you

So when can I come visit

Bravo Manu!

On finishing the Dakar or having two strippers as room mates ?

Dakar!

Pictures of the roommates or I don't believe a single word

:eek1

If TM was smart , they would set you up with a bike for 2014

Or someone with a modified 690...

Revive Riff Raff

This is the last friend that came to visit me and the condition in which he then had to go home.

He is the 2010 Italian National Motocross Champion MX1 Under 23

Well done, Manuel!

Ham from Spain, stripper money for fuel. You can't make that stuff up!

It was great fun to follow your adventure through the Dakar.

Cheers to you, Manuel.

What he said! Well done Manuel...

Manuel,

I was almost in tears reading that list of thank-you's! Fantastic journey!! There are quite a few inmates around ADV who have smugmug discount codes if you want to host pictures, otherwise, I would be happy to host photos for you on my webserver. Just shoot me a PM and we can discuss the easiest way for you to get the pics to me.

Congrats, Manuel! You had us on the edge of our seats.

It was great fun rooting for you !

Bravo Mane!