VOL. 56 ISSUE 2 JANUARY 15, 2019 P77
(Red Wings) in the Pharaohs
Rally in Egypt and victory in the
only edition of the Norwegian
Island Rally (otherwise known as
the Dark Desert rally where riders
traversed sections of volcanic
lava) followed, with Gualini gain-
ing a reputation as a man who
could find his way.
"I have a lot of big results be-
cause I was good in navigation,"
Gualini says. "When I was riding
a lot alone, I have knowledge of
a compass, and of maps. You
must be very careful in the desert
to read the compass, because
many times you have no refer-
ence point. Sometimes in the
Paris-Dakar, I would arrive in the
stage finish and 80 riders would
be lost in the desert. I make a lot
of experience with my extreme
trips. It is very easy to get com-
pletely lost in the desert. If you
do two degrees of difference with
80 kilometers, you are out by 22
kilometers. So, for this reason,
for me it was important [to know]
the navigation, because the navi-
gation give you the possibility to
obtain great results, especially in
the Paris-Dakar."
In 10 attempts of the Paris-
Dakar, always as a privateer with
the backing of Camel cigarettes,
Gualini finished the event eight
times and won the Marathon
category three times in a race
that took a staggering 22 days to
complete with no rest day. The
Marathon riders are not permitted
to change key components on the
motorcycle—engine, forks, frame,
swingarm, etc.—so the rider must
be gentle on his equipment to en-
sure he makes it to Senegal.
"Those are the most important
[victories in his career]. I never
have assistance. Only with my
back pack. [It is] a big achieve-
ment because [it] means to sort
out any problem. The only two
races I don't finish was a mechani-
cal problem that I fall down for
the Paris-Dakar with the Honda
Africa twin. I was 10th overall. I
was catching an official rider, four
(Above) Gualini chills in the Namibian desert with the
mighty Yamaha Super Tenere. The 1992 race changed from
Paris-Dakar to Paris-Cape Town and spanned the entire
length of Africa. (Right) Paris-Dakar, Libya, 1985. Gualini
offers up his front wheel to official Cagiva rider and close
friend, Giampaolo Marinoni, after the latter destroyed his
magnesium hub. Later, the Cagiva truck arrives with a new
wheel for Gualini, who arrives at 4 a.m. and starts again
at 5 a.m. Tragically, Marinoni is killed in the last Special
Stage of the rally in Senegal. (Left) Gualini styles it for
the cameras in front of the Great Pyramids after claiming
victory in the 125cc class of the Pharaohs Rally, 1982. This
shot landed on the front cover of many magazines in Italy
and made Gualini a rally star almost overnight.
