Ténéré

World Raid Team Rewrite the Record Books at the Africa Eco Race

The Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Team arrived at the end of the Africa Eco Race with riders Pol Tarrés and Alessandro Botturi finishing in 5th and 24th, respectively. They also achieved the feat of becoming the first twin-cylinder adventure bike to complete the entire rally, plus recorded a 1-2 in the +700 class.

The epic Africa Eco Race has involved 12 stages, covering over 6000km from the start in Monaco, all the way down the West Coast of Africa, through Morocco, Mauritania and then finishes in Senegal. Stirring the memories of Cyril Neveu’s victory for Yamaha in the maiden Paris-Dakar rally in 1979, Tarrés and Botturi brought their Ténéré 700 World Raid bikes back to their spiritual Dakar home in the Africa Eco Race in an emotional moment for both the riders and team.

Tarrés was flying through the African desert eco rally, showing incredible speed and consistency, only finishing outside of the top 7 once, securing his maiden rally podium on Stage 9 and besting everything the rally could throw at him. Despite temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius, extreme humidity, the cancelled Stage 6 and the infamous dunes of Mauritania, nothing could stop his charge. The 29-year-old duelled with the 450cc bikes on several stages and came out on top, which shows just how capable the combination of the Spaniard and his GYTR-kitted Ténéré 700 World Raid bike is.

After reaching the finish line at Lac Rose, in just his second rally, Tarrés secured 5th in the general classification with a combined time of 50 hours, 16 minutes and 42 seconds. In doing so, he became the first person to complete the Africa Eco Race on a twincylinder adventure bike by winning the +700 class in some style, with his teammate Botturi making it a 1-2 for the Ténéré World Raid Team. In fact, Yamaha completed a lockout of the podium with Malles Moto rider Wolfang Piccardo on his standard Ténéré 700 finishing 3rd in class.

Botturi, who won the team’s first race in April, the Tunisia Desert Challenge, and was chasing a hat-trick of victories at the Africa Eco Race, experienced contrasting fortunes during the rally. The Italian showed his class by storming to victory on Stage 2 but then experienced a technical issue on the third stage that meant he lost time.

He bounced back with a podium on Stage 4 and was fighting his way back up the general classification before a broken chain on Stage 8 saw him stuck overnight in the searing heat of the dunes in Akjout, awaiting the rescue truck. Over 24 hours later, and having been forced to miss Stage 9, the 47-year-old returned to the bivouac exhausted and dehydrated from the experience, but after his team worked through the night to strip and rebuild the bike, “Bottu” showed his legendary determination to take to the start of Stage 10 and finish the rally.

His overall classification of 24th with a penalty-effected time of 96 hours, 55 minutes and 21 seconds was not representative of his pace, but the Italian and his team’s inspiring never-give-up attitude ensured he joined Tarrés on the +700 class podium. Plus, achieve the aim of both riders reaching the end of the rally on their Ténéré 700 World Raid GYTRkitted bikes.

Adventure Riding Gear

Adventure Rally Jacket

A22-RJ101-E0

Adventure Rally Pants

A22-RP101-E0

A22-AD201-B1

A22-AP201-B1