Buller & Stirling Victorious at Inaugural Yamaha Desert Challenge
William Buller and his co-driver Alan Stirling mounted a superb fightback in their YXZ1000R to win the first-ever Yamaha Desert Challenge and cap off an extremely successful event that ran in unison alongside the final four stages of the Carta Rallye in Morocco.
The maiden Yamaha Desert Challenge, which featured two categories, Race and Raid, saw crews from the YXZ1000R Cups in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Germany, and Italy join up with the Carta Rallye competitors to race over four days in Morocco.
Designed to give the participants an introduction to desert rallies, the Race category, which was exclusively for crews driving race-ready YXZ1000Rs, ran in parallel with the final four stages of the Carta Rallye but with some slight stage modifications and its own dedicated classification.
Starting in Merzouga, competitors in the Race class covered over 1000km in four days across some of the planet’s most spectacular yet challenging terrain; the Race crews also participated in the exhilarating 56km night stage, which saw them take on the legendary Erg Chigaga dunes in the dark.
Alongside the racing action in the Yamaha Desert Challenge, there was also the Raid class open to any Yamaha SSV, which featured a number of crews driving YXZ1000Rs, Wolverine RMAX 2s, and Wolverine RMAX 4s. The participants in this category followed their own schedules and routes. This meant they were free to explore the epic Moroccan desert scenery alongside experienced guides without the pressure of competing against the clock while also getting to experience the thrills and excitement of a rally.
Before the event got underway, the crews from both classes benefitted from an exclusive Yamaha Desert Academy, which saw them receive expert tuition and advice in every aspect of rallying. The academy featured dedicated sessions with accomplished instructors on navigation and first aid, plus they were also taken into the desert for a special session designed to help them conquer the infamous Moroccan dunes.
