Meet the Brazilian Family Who Took Their Porsche on an Off-Road Rally
The Piotto Vogts completed the Rally dos Sertões - known as one of the toughest events in South America – in their factory-specification Porsche.
The marathon event covered 3,482 km through the wilds of Brazil, from Goiânia, southwest of the capital city, Brasília, to Marechal Deodoro on the Alagoas coast. With a roof tent mounted atop the car, and their Cayenne as a support vehicle, Fredy and Susele Piotto Vogts and their 14-year-old son João Pedro completed the rally route without a hitch.
“To start with, we weren’t sure if the Porsche would be able to handle the route,” admitted Susele. “But those concerns evaporated the moment we crossed the river. The Dakar also served as our hotel. We slept in the roof tent in the heart of the wilderness. All in all, it was an unforgettable experience.”
Just to get to the start involved a 1,200 km from their home in Campo Largo, and they obviously had to make the return journey as well in their cars. The family clearly loves life on the road, however, and their very first trip in the 911 Dakar took them to Praia do Cassino – the longest beach in the world, at 220 kilometers – in Rio Grande do Sul, and from there, on to Chui in Uruguay.
“We buy cars to drive them,” said Fredy, and, when they’re not on rally duties, both vehicles are used as daily drivers. “It’s about the dynamism, the feeling, and the experience of driving a Porsche to work in the morning.”
The Piotto Vogts completed the Rally dos Sertões - known as one of the toughest events in South America – in their factory-specification Porsche.