I’ve never seen Luongo angry, although I have seen him make decisions that are obviously made through somebody trying to cheat him. Despite what many might think Giuseppe Luongo is a man with very high values on being loyal and not trying to cheat him. If you ask many of the Grand Prix promoters you won’t get too many complaining of his company Youthstream trying to do dirty deals, relationships are often done in a very professional manner, but at the end of the day t              qhere is also a personal touch, bordering in friendships.

Attending the FIM Off-Road Awards a few years ago I was lucky enough to witness Luongo in contact with his son and the mother of his son. Divorced years earlier the friendship between the two parents gave me a lot of respect for the Italian businessman. Having gone through a divorce myself I saw many things that I also tried to do as a father. The love of a past partner shouldn’t be dimmed by the loss a relationship.

We were lucky enough to sit down with Mr. Luongo and ask him some personal questions about life, love and the sport that has taken him to the very peak of his professional life.

Personal Life

Q: I’ve known you now for nearly 15 years and the most impressive thing about you is the loyalty you show towards people. Where does that loyalty come from? Did you learn it from your parents or through life in general?

Luongo: I come from a farming family from a very remote village in the mountains in the South of Italy, in this place in the world contracts and lawyers don’t exist, a hand-shake has more value than a contract because by not maintaining your word means the loss of honor.  My whole education was based on this principle.

Q: What is a typical week for Giuseppe Luongo? I’ve got this picture of you being very busy at times, a lot of flying around to many meetings, but I also have a picture of you sitting on a boat and drinking expensive champagne and smoking a big cigar. How is your life in reality?

Luongo: The image of the big boat, drinking expensive champagne and big cigars is all very nice, but unfortunately it doesn’t happen very often!  I don’t really have a typical week as my work is not very typical.  Practically every week is different; the only thing that is very stabile and similar everyday is I do everything together with my wife, Ursula (travel, hobby, work, etc).  We work between 8 – 12 hours a day, we travel a lot, and when we find time we follow our son David with football, and I try to find an hour a day to smoke my cigar with a glass of good wine.

Q: I’ve been told about the boat trips by some riders, have you been able to enjoy much personal time with riders and do you have some special moments you can share with us?

Luongo: A rider, when he takes off his helmet, is a person like any other – therefore with some I may have a better feeling than with others, but anyway we try not to spend personal time with riders because it can be viewed and used badly from the outside due to my role.  We often see riders who have already retired or who compete in other disciplines, and we have passed some moments on the boat with Alex Puzar, Jean-Michel Bayle, Rick Johnson, Max Biaggi and others.

Q: Your relationship with Ursula seems very special, like two soul mates. How important is Ursula for you in your live, but also in your quest to improve the sport and what part does she play in helping you reach your goals? She seems like the perfect partner in life for you.

Luongo: Ursula is more than my love, she’s my everything, she’s the perfect partner for everything, we do everything together, and she gives me the right balance.  Ursula comes from the sport (she was in the National Canoe Polo Team representing New Zealand) so she knows what we talk about.  I will thank Motocross forever because it’s via Motocross that we met each other, we were lucky to have met each other but after that moment it’s not a question of luck, you have to build your happiness every day.

Q: What is the worst thing somebody can do to make Giuseppe Luongo angry?

Luongo: I can’t tell you; otherwise it will be used against me!!!  Ha ha ha! No seriously, the worst thing is if somebody cheats you.

Q: Where is your main home, where do you spend more of your time?
Switzerland.  We love Switzerland, it’s a beautiful country, very safe, organized, clean and very discrete, and many sport federations have their offices here.

Q: Do you have a favorite spot, maybe a holiday house somewhere where you can relax and not think about work? If so what do you enjoy about that place?

Luongo: My favorite places are on the boat in Formentera Balearic Islands, or if we have more time in New Zealand because it’s where Ursula comes from and because it the most beautiful places in the world, I love it, we like the nature and where there are not so many people.

Q: A lot of money and unhappy or zero money and happy, sometimes the dilemma of people. Can money make people happy? What are your experiences of being financially ok, and have you had moments when you have had to struggle financially?

Luongo: For me the best formula is money and happiness!  Just joking – but sure for sure it’s the best!  I think it’s a big mistake when people think money equals happiness, that’s completely wrong, happiness is something else.  Happiness is to wake up every morning with the person you love beside you, to love and be loved, to divide everything with the person you love, to have healthy and good children, do the work you like with people you like, etc.  I know a lot of people with a lot of money but who are not happy at all.  In my life I’ve had money and I’ve been very poor, I’ve had success and I’ve seen defeat, and it was during my moments of difficulty where I understood a lot of things, and I see those from my family and my true friends who were there in my moments of difficulty are still there now.

Q: You’ve had a divorce situation in your life and having been through that I know how difficult that can be. I understand you still have a great relationship with your son’s mother. How was that period of your life for you and how do you create that special relationship.

Luongo: In these modern times divorce is something that happens often, but after spending 7 years of every moment of your life with someone you cannot act as an enemy.  Surely when there is a divorce it means something is wrong, the love has finished, but especially when you have children you can act like a civilized person.  We have a very good relationship with Dominique (my ex wife) and Patricia (my ex girlfriend), they are like sisters for Ursula and me.  The good relation also helps a lot for David’s (my son) stability.

Q: Having a son, how is that for you. What special moments have you shared with him?

Luongo: It’s fantastic, we share a lot of moments together, David plays professional football and loves Motocross racing and we share a lot of other hobbies, we are very close to each other.  We shared a very special moment for his Birthday last year; our team (where David plays) was playing against our direct competitor (one of us was to be relegated) and that day David scored the first goal and made the assist for the 2nd goal and thanks to this 2-1 victory the Club was saved!  On the same day he was badly injured (out for 4 months) but he was so happy.  He is someone very serious, professional and always gives 120% in everything he does, we are very proud of him.

Q: What is your biggest regret in your life?

Luongo: I don’t have any regrets because I have a philosophy that if something bad happens it’s may happen for the better of tomorrow.  Everything that has happened good in my life has happened after something bad or a defeat.  The past has to be used as an experience to not make the same mistake, and enjoy the present and future.

Q: Happiest moment in your life and what makes it special? What was the emotion of that moment?