The Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team, in partnership with Riders for Health (powered by Two Wheels for Life), dominated proceedings once again on the eighth stage of the 2026 Africa Eco Race, with Gautier Paulin producing a stunning ride to take the timed-special victory, his second of the rally. Kevin Gallas is third in the general classification and the leading Yamaha rider after ending the stage in sixth, while Alessandro Botturi finished in eighth, and once again, there were five Ténérés in the top nine.
The Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team began Stage 8 of the Africa Eco Race (AER) with Gallas, who is riding alongside the official team as a part of the Ténéré Spirit Experience (TSE), leading the 2026 Africa Eco Race by six minutes and twelve seconds after securing his second stage win the day before. On Tuesday, the riders faced a loop stage, meaning they would start and finish at the bivouac in Aidzidine, with only 14 km of liaison and a demanding 415 km special stage, featuring multiple dune crossings.
Paulin, a former MXGP rider and five-time winner of the MXoN, is competing in his first AER in the motorcycle category after winning the 2024 edition in the car class. The 35-year-old belied his lack of roadbook experience as he rode on his own for long periods of the stage, absolutely flying through the desert on his Ténéré 700 Rally.
Producing a superb performance despite strong winds and sandstorms that made navigation even harder, he finished the special in four hours, 57 minutes, and 32 seconds to take the victory by two minutes and 34 seconds. It was his second stage win of the rally and meant that a Ténéré had taken victory in five out of the eight stages so far. The French rider moves up to fourth in the general classification, just 16 minutes and seven seconds behind the leader, and firmly in the victory hunt.
Competing in only his third rally raid, Gallas once again impressed as he faced the difficult task of opening the stage. Despite a small error at the start, he rode brilliantly to finish in sixth, less than 25 minutes behind Paulin, and he is now third overall, 13 minutes and nine seconds off the lead.
Experienced Italian Botturi, who suffered a technical issue on Stage 4 that cost him over an hour and effectively took him out of the battle for victory, is selflessly focusing on helping his teammates rather than pursuing his own glory. The 50-year-old finished less than three minutes behind Gallas in eighth and moves up one place to eighth in the general classification.
Once again, the rest of the TSE riders also enjoyed a strong day, with Mike Wiedemann (5th overall) from Germany in sixth, and the six-time Dakar finisher, António Maio (7th overall) from Portugal, in ninth. This means there are now five Ténérés in the top eight of the general classification, demonstrating not only the twin-cylinder adventure bikes’ competitiveness, but also their durability across some of the harshest terrain on the planet.
Stage 9 of the AER is another tough one, as the bivouac packs up after two nights in Aidzidine and heads to Ouad Naga. There are 65 km of liaisons, and a challenging 426 km special that once again sees the riders take on more dunes, as well as rocky trails, camel grass, and soft sand.
Stage 8 Results
General Classification After Stage 8
Gautier Paulin – P4 Overall – 28h50m37s
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“That was awesome! What a stage, I really enjoyed that one. It was tough, and riding on your own here in Mauritania is no joke, but the scenery is spectacular, and I am absolutely loving riding the Ténéré 700 Rally in the dunes. Once you find your flow, there is nothing like it. I am delighted with my navigation today, as I didn’t make a single mistake and was able to attack the stage. Securing my second stage win feels great, although I am not thinking about the general classification. I am just focusing on one stage at a time. Tomorrow, I will open the stage, so I will be riding on my own for long periods again, and it will be a real test of my navigation skills, which I am still learning. I will push as hard as I can and hopefully enjoy as much as I did today.”
Kevin Gallas – P3 Overall – 28h47m39s
Ténéré Spirit Experience
“It was another good stage. I lost a little time at the start by making a small mistake with the roadbook, but then I found Gautier and got back onto the right route, starting to make up time. The Ténéré has not missed a beat all rally, and today it was superb again, and I am really enjoying my first AER so far. Tomorrow is another tough stage, but I will start from sixth, which is the perfect position to try and attack the leaders, so I will give it everything, and hopefully we can close the gap to the top.”
Alessandro Botturi – P8 Overall – 30h29m15s
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“That was a long, hard stage. It was a typical Mauritanian special, with lots of dunes, tricky soft sand, and extremely challenging navigation. I am out of the victory fight, so while I am pushing as hard as I can, I am also trying to focus on helping my teammates around me, and so far, they are doing a great job. Tomorrow is another long and tricky day, but we are only just over 2000 km from the finish in Lac Rose in Dakar, so we will keep fighting and try to bring home the best results possible.”
Marc Bourgeois
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team – Team Manager
“What a ride from Gautier. That was a really tough stage, and he rode most of it on his own. Considering he is still learning how to navigate in rally raids, that was impressive, and his pace on the Ténéré 700 Rally is sensational. It was another good ride from Kevin. He is really impressing everyone with his ability and tactical nous, and is in a very strong position to try and attack and retake the lead on Stage 9. Botturi is doing an amazing job; not only is he still making up time in the general classification, but he is also using his experience to help out his teammates. All of the TSE riders are doing themselves proud, and seeing 5 of our Ténérés in the top eight overall shows how hard the team have been working and how good the bike and riders are. There are still four stages to go, and we are ready to fight all the way to the finish line in Dakar.”
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