This is all about passion. But there’s something more. This year, EICMA has given us a special gift: the chance to encounter passion 2.0. Passion that is powerful, genuine and, above all, deeply moving.

We’re talking about Charley Boorman’s lifelong passion for motorcycles. Charley is an actor, television personality, writer and adventurer. You all know him. I’ve never watched his videos or films, but his books have moved me profoundly. They speak about feelings I’ve experienced all my life, which makes them doubly emotional for me.

Charley has been riding motorcycles since he was a very young boy. He went on to race and travel, becoming famous for his journeys around the world with Ewan McGregor. Riding motorcycles, as he himself admits, helped him find the motivation to recover from devastating accidents that cost him years of uncertainty, fear and dozens of operations.

And then there’s his experience at the Dakar Rally. Believe me, his account is essential reading. Charley describes the years of preparation, the disappointment of having to withdraw after breaking both hands, and how he rediscovered a sense of purpose by supporting his team following the death of Andy Caldecott.

The journeys, the races, the friendships. How much the Dakar has changed! How political events can dramatically reshape overland routes. How sharing motorcycle adventures can strengthen a friendship, like the one between Charley and Ewan.

Motorcycles, then, have represented freedom since childhood, when Charley first discovered that feeling in the Irish mountains, spending long days in the saddle. Riding a motorcycle is a source of freedom and mental clarity. It brings to mind Robert M. Pirsig and his Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

Absolutely fantastic!