My name is Gil Sacconi, a 54-year-old Italian-French man born in Cannes (French Riviera). Since 2015, I've been living on the French Caribbean island of Saint Martin, where I own a french gastronomic restaurants, Le Pressoir.
Like many, I've been fascinated by motorcycles since childhood but my parents never let me ride one, even though you can start riding at 14 in France. That changed after my parents divorced and we moved to Milan, Italy. My mother eventually had no choice but to get me a motorbike so I could commute to school!
It was a great excuse!
At 15, when I spent summers with my father in Cannes, I decided to travel there on my "Malaguti FIFTY"—a 500 km journey! Admittedly, the bike had some modifications!. Since then, I haven't stopped riding. I've owned countless Vespas and motorbikes, traveled throughout Italy, Switzerland, and France for any reason possible as long as it meant being on a bike.
When I turned 16, everything changed. With my driving license in hand, we visited close friends in Tuscany. One morning, Maurizio, who owned a Moto Guzzi 1000 Le Mans 2, told me, "I know you've dreamed of the Guzzi since you were a kid. Now's your chance: 'Prendila e falla urlare!' (Take it and make it scream!)"
From that moment, I was hooked.
CONTAMINATION 100% COMPLETED!
As life goes, it's been a wild ride over the past three decades—with ups and downs, including divorces and being ruined twice. How often I could ride depended on time and money ….This decade seems to be pretty good and i could make long rides in the US during our annual closing!
And guess what: I could find 3 years ago the same Guzzi on the island!!!
My daily is a Harley of course but every time i fire the Guzzi it brings me back in time!
On my arm tattoo is written : “I stopped telling myself that I’m lost. I’m not. I’m on a road with no destination; I’m just driving with hope that I’ll find a place I like and stay there. I’m not lost, I’m just on my way.”
Like a cat with seven lives, I'm still here and doing well!
Why Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge ?
The first time I heard about the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge was in 2014, shortly before I moved to the island. At that time, I believed participating would be an incredible experience. But my circumstances upon arrival were less than ideal! So I set this ambition aside.
Two years ago, when my friend and mechanic Mickael Deaudou informed me he was registered to the HHMC 2024, I said to myself: “Fuck it! Just do it!”
So here I am!
The phrase, “It’s a good day to die,” resonates deeply with me. To me, it signifies renewal
and personal growth.
While I could say that my motivation is to push my physical and mental limits bla bla
bla, my true aim is to encounter myself in a raw, fundamental situation (an experience
many of us have lost touch with). Modern life has perhaps become too comfortable, too
easy and I am drawn to reconnecting with its essential elements.
Working in the restaurant industry, I interact with hundreds of people throughout the
year.
I needed to break this routine, and took the decision to temporarily close my restaurant
specifically for this event in order to be in a complete peace of mind.
For these reasons, and maybe some others, I am confident that this journey will be
trans formative and what’s better way to embark on it than by riding my Harley-
Davidson!
Donation
As i am not very familiar with the US system about that and don’t want to make any
mistakes, i ll do a donation to Boys and Girls club of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
and trust your judgment to what the money will be for.
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