The Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team, in partnership with Riders for Health (powered by Two Wheels for Life), secured its first-ever lockout of the top two positions on a stage as Gautier Paulin stormed to his maiden victory in the motorcycle class on Stage 6, at the Africa Eco Race, with his teammate Alessandro Botturi securing second. At the same time, Kevin Gallas continued his strong form to finish 12th, following a strategy designed to help him hunt down the leaders in the general classification.
Stage 6 of the 2026 Africa Eco Race (AER) saw the bivouac pack up after the official rest day in Dakhla and complete a 438 km liaison to the Mauritanian border. Once across, competitors faced a 153 km special stage mainly consisting of soft sand and fast trails, before reaching the bivouac in Chami.
Former MXGP rider Paulin, who is competing in his first AER in the motorcycle category after winning the 2024 edition in the car class, pulled off a stunning ride to power to victory on his Ténéré 700 Rally in a time of one hour, 11 minutes, and 23 seconds, the team’s third victory from six stages. The 35-year-old French rider is now fifth in the general classification, just seven minutes and one second behind the leader, with the rally turning into a tightly contested five-way battle for victory.
His teammate, experienced Italian Botturi, continues his fightback from a technical issue on Stage 4 that cost him just over an hour. The 50-year-old once again produced a strong ride to ensure a maiden rally raid one-two for the team and the Ténéré 700 Rally. He finished two minutes and 28 seconds behind Paulin, which means he remains ninth in the overall standings, with the gap to the leader one hour, five minutes, and 39 seconds.
For Ténéré Spirit Experience (TSE) rider Gallas, the team had devised a strategy to try and ensure he would be in the strongest position possible for the much longer and trickier seventh stage. The German rider, also competing in his first AER, entered the day in second overall after winning Stage 5, just 25 seconds off the lead. Faced with leading out the stage, and to give him the strongest chance of a victory push, he deliberately let the riders behind catch him, sacrificing a small amount of time, to allow him to get a better start position for Stage 7. He pulled the tactic off to perfection, finishing the stage in 12th and conceding only three minutes to the rally leader. He is now fourth in the general classification, and he will start from 12th for Stage 7, which will allow him to attack and try to take the lead of the rally.
There were also strong performances from fellow TSE riders Mike Weidemann, who secured ninth, and António Maio in tenth, which saw them move up to sixth and seventh overall, respectively, to make it five Ténérés inside the top nine of the general classification.
Stage 7 is where the AER takes on another level. Starting at the bivouac in Chami, riders face a 462 km timed special that includes the first time competitors will come face to face with the infamous Mauritanian dunes. Navigation will be fraught with danger due to the barren landscapes with a lack of landmarks to use, plus the threat of a sandstorm will increase the difficulty level even more for riders.
Stage 6 Results
General Classification After Stage 6
Gautier Paulin – P5 Overall – 17h34m49s
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“Wow, what a feeling! Winning my first stage in the motorcycle category at the Africa Eco Race felt special. It was a really nice stage, and I was able to use the Ténéré’s extra power to my advantage, and I had a lot of fun. Obviously, here in Mauritania, things get cranked up a notch in terms of difficulty. Navigation is much harder because there are so few landmarks, but I am really happy with how I managed it. Tomorrow is going to be a big day; it’s a long stage, and I am opening for the first time. We hit the first really serious dunes, but Alessandro is starting behind me, so we can work together to achieve the best result possible for the team. I am not thinking of the general classification at the moment, I am just trying to enjoy the experience of my first Africa Eco Race on a motorbike, and do my best for the team.”
Alessandro Botturi – P9 Overall – 18h33m27s
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“Today was a long day, with the liaison to the border, and then a tricky special. Obviously, I have a lot of time to make up, so I pushed as hard as I could, and the Ténéré was perfect, allowing me to secure second behind Gautier. To get the team’s first 1-2, and the first for the Ténéré 700 Rally, was special. Now we are in Mauritania, the real rally begins, and I cannot wait to get stuck into the dunes on the next stage.”
Kevin Gallas – P4 Overall – 17h31m13s
Ténéré Spirit Experience
“Today was a long day, not so much the stage, which I actually really enjoyed, but there was a lot of liaison, and a long wait at the border. We made a plan to finish a little down the order today, without giving up too much time, so that tomorrow, when we hit the Mauritanian dunes for the first time, I can follow the other riders and make up more time than I lost today. The strategy worked to perfection, and I will start from 12th tomorrow. Hopefully, I can take advantage of that. This is my first AER, and only my third rally raid, so to be within touching distance of the leader is amazing, and I cannot wait to get back on the bike tomorrow.”
Marc Bourgeois
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team – Team Manager
“It was the first stage in Mauritania, and it was important to ensure we were in a strong position for the much tougher Stage 7. Gautier had a great stage, and so did Alessandro, and achieving our first-ever one-two for the team and the Ténéré 700 was very special. It also means that for the next stage, they can help each other, which will be vital in the dunes where Gautier does not have much experience. Kevin also had a solid stage, and stuck to the plan perfectly, so while he lost a bit of time, that was deliberate so that he would be able to start down the order for the seventh stage, and be able to follow the other riders, so he can try and catch the leader in the general classification.”
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