Marco Aurelio Fontana is no stranger to cross-country racing on a bicycle, but in recent times has tried his hand at cross-country racing on a motorcycle. His passion will culminate in his first foray into the Africa Eco Race on 30 December, where he will race the #144 Honda CRF450 from RS Moto.
Representing Italy, Fontana won the bronze medal at the 2012 London Summer Olympics in cross-country mountain biking; he made his Olympic début four years prior in Beijing where he finished fifth in the event. His last Olympic appearance was in 2016, placing twentieth in Cross-Country MTB. He also has three UCI World Championships in the team relay, along with domestic national championships solo. Besides mountain biking, he is a seven-time Italian National Cyclo-cross Champion.
After retiring from competitively cycling (though he has continued to ride e-bikes), he traded in his bicycle for a dirt bike by entering amateur rallies. He is a regular at the Swank Rally di Serdegna, a rally organised on the Italian island of Sardinia; in October, he finished second overall behind Dakar Rally veteran Cesare Zacchetti.
Fontana has long dreamed of competing in the Dakar Rally; while it no longer runs its original route, the Africa Eco Race has since taken up that role by starting in Monaco and finishing in Dakar, Senegal. Many AER competitors have also gone on to enter the Dakar and vice versa, though the 2024 editions of both conflict. Should he succeed, Fontana would join company like reigning Dakar champion Nasser Al-Attiyah, who also medalled at the 2012 Games, co-drivers Sergio Lafuente and Miklós Ungvári, and 2006 winner Luc Alphand.
Fontana dubbed himself the “Posh Privateer”, a reference to not having factory backing but also carrying a sense of elegance. The moniker is also the name of his YouTube series.
The 2024 Africa Eco Race begins on 30 December in Monaco before crossing into Morocco. It will finish in Dakar on 14 January.