Who was Giulia Maroni? Italian Cross-Country Rally winner dies after falling 164 feet while hiking

Giulia Maroni, the Italian motor rally driver, lost her life in a hiking accident on January 28. According to The Sun, the passionate sportswoman was out with her partner to walk her dog on the Modena Apennines in Italy last Sunday, when she slipped and fell 164 feet down the mountain.

The emergency medical services in Italy reportedly made an attempt to airlift Maroni shortly after her slipping accident, but the rallyist’s injuries were far too severe for recovery.

Giulia Maroni had made a remarkable reputation for herself in the off-road world after she won the Italian Cross-Country Rally in 2021 as the navigator to Sergio Galletti. Maroni was also the navigator and co-drive to Luciano Carcheri – from the Angelo Caffi Corse team - in the Dakar Rally.

As per the media outlet, Nicolas Barattini, the mountain rescue station chief, shared with the local media how Maroni’s accident was “a tragic fatality” as she had placed her foot badly, which led to the slip.

“We saw immediately that the woman’s condition was unfortunately very serious.”

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Giulia Maroni and her partner were both avid hikers

Enter caption Maroni vacationing with partner, Simona Panzacchi (Image via Instagram/@giuliatoyota @simo.panzac)

Giulia Maroni was born on October 31, 1986 in Italy. Little is known about her early life or family, but her Facebook profile reveals that the rally driver lived in Castel Guelfo, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, before her death.

Beyond rally racing, Maroni also worked in collaboration with the 4x4 Magazine, where she was a photographer and a correspondent. The magazine released this statement as a reaction to the news of Maroni’s death this Monday:

“This week starts with very bad news. An accident in the mountains took away Giulia Maroni, a passionate sportsman and off-roader, who had also collaborated with our magazine. Rip Giulia.”

According to Starsgab, Giulia was reportedly dating Simona Panzacchi, a yoga teacher and researcher. The two were travel enthusiasts and often shared pictures of their vacations together on social media. They were also avid hikers, as per The Sun. Maroni referred to their trips as “healthy holidays” on Instagram.

Lina Van De Mars, who teamed up with Maroni in the 201 FIA European Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, paid tribute to her, stating:

“We were just making new plans for the 2023 season. It’s been an honour to know you. It’s been a pleasure to race with you. Still proud of us having become European vice champions in the world of baja and rallyraid racing. I am still in shock. Hoping smiles and sunshine will be with you.”

On the day of her accident, Giulia Maroni was out hiking on Mount Libro Aperto in the Pizzo dei Sassi Bianchi area with her partner, Panzacchi, and her dog. Having lost her balance mid-trail, Maroni slipped and fell down the mountain, colliding with rocks and trees on her way down.

Her partner, Panzacchi, immediately called for the emergency services, who arrived shortly to airlift Maroni. The rally driver was then admitted into her Maggiore Hospital in Bologna, where she passed away due to her fatal injuries by Sunday evening. Maroni was 37 when she died.