José Amaro

Who is José (Zé)?

I was born in Faro. I have a passion for the city…. and for bikes. Me and others are the founders of Moto Clube Faro and I believe that we did a good job to integrate the concept of bikes in Faro’s society. This is the biggest moto club in Portugal and one of the biggest in Europe.

We receive people from all over the world here. For example, a Japanese guy loved it so much that he told us: “I’m going to get back to Japan, get married and then I’ll come back with my wife.”, and they came. You know that people really feel good and welcomed if they travel from the other side of the world just to come back here. Also, you can tell that people enjoy being here because most of the people that work in the club do it for free, as volunteers, especially during the concerts and the big meetings during summer. Everyone is so friendly here and we always try to help anyone that’s in need. I believe that this connection that we manage to create with people from all over the world is the real value of this place. This is why the club is open to everyone.

Also, the value that comes from the friendship between the bikers. They are very hospitable. They know how to receive people and make them feel welcomed. It doesn’t matter the country, the religion, the colour of the skin. And we are also very proud to integrate people into showing more solidarity towards each other. We’re like a big family here! We always love to help anyone that’s in need. We like to get ourselves involved in different charitable actions, such as giving food for people in need and also accommodating for free any biker from anywhere in the world. It’s not because of Covid, we started doing this many many years ago. For example, we also donated an ambulance to the Red Cross and other solidarity associations. We want to show an example to society and make these kinds of acts be something usual.

What would you like to do when you grow up?

Exactly what I’m doing now!

What is the first thing on your mind when you think about Faro?

The light and the beauty of the city.

What would be the soundtrack of your life story?

Hotel California by the Eagles. Also the music from the Easy Rider, Born to be wild.

What is the place in Faro you are most connected to? Why?

For me, from a cultural point of view, the old town is a very special place. However, because I love football, another place I feel connected to would be the stadium of the Sporting Clube Farense.