The Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team’s Alessandro Botturi secured second overall for the second year in a row at the TransAnatolia rally, and he was joined on the podium by his teammate Matteo Druisiani in third, while Yamaha also completed a clean sweep of the top four places in the twin-cylinder over 650cc category.
The 14th edition of the TransAnatolia saw riders start in Merson, a port city in southern Turkey, before traversing more than 2000km over seven days of challenging, rocky mountain terrain to finish in Van on the east coast.
Botturi, who finished in second behind his usual teammate Pol Tarrés in last year’s edition of the race to secure a 1-2 for the team, was once again on great form. The experienced Italian was almost unstoppable, as he maintained a 100% podium record throughout the rally’s seven stages and finished with two stage victories to his name.
After a brilliant battle between the leading riders all rally, a dramatic finish on the final stage incredibly saw the 48-year-old on his twin-cylinder adventure bike only miss out on the overall win to a factory rider on a prototype 450cc machine by the margin of one minute and 54 seconds. This meant Botturi finished second overall for the second consecutive year, while he also secured the B3 class victory (twin-cylinder bikes above 650cc).
He was joined on the overall podium by his teammate Druisiani, who was participating in his maiden international rally raid event. The young Italian Motorally Champion was given the opportunity to race alongside Botturi as part of the official team, and the Ténéré Spirit Experience (TSE) rider showcased his natural ability and skill by beating much more experienced competitors to finish third overall and second in class.
Showcasing the performance and reliability of the Ténéré 700 World Rally with the three-stage GYTR kit fitted, which takes the standard road-going production bike and allows you to convert it into a full-on rally raid machine, there was more success for Yamaha in the B3 class, as backing up Botturi and Druisiani’s performances were the TSE riders taking part in the race category.
Attilio Fert and Nicolas Charlier made it four Ténéré’s in the top six in the overall classification after finishing in fifth and sixth, respectively, as well as ensuring a top four lockout of the B3 category, while Sonia Bardot ensured that all of the Yamaha riders completed the race as she secured 18th overall and seventh in the B3 class.
With the final rally raid event of the year complete for the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team, they will now turn their focus to the Africa Eco Race, which they won last year in dominant fashion, that takes place from the 28th of December 2024 to the 12th of January 2025.
2024 TransAnatolia General Classification
Alessandro Botturi
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“It is great to have finished the 2024 edition of the TransAnatolia! I am thrilled to have secured second position again, especially after such a good battle with my rivals on the 450cc bikes. I think it shows how far this project has come and how good the Ténéré is that we could fight with them on equal terms, something that would have seemed impossible a few years ago, and I even managed to win two stages. It was an excellent victory battle at the front, and it went right to the wire, with us missing out on the win by less than two minutes. We keep making steps and improving, and while the terrain was very different, this has been the perfect preparation for the team for the Africa Eco Race, and I cannot wait.”
Matteo Druisiani
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team – Ténéré Spirit Experience
“This has been an amazing week! The team has been incredible, and everyone has worked hard for this result. Securing the overall podium in my first international rally raid is amazing. The Ténéré was perfect, and I really enjoyed riding it in these conditions and could not believe how competitive it was. The Ténéré Spirit Experience was incredible, too, with us all eating together at night and sharing tips and information about bike setup and the next day’s stages. I want to do it again already. Thanks to everyone at Yamaha Motor Europe and Marc for this opportunity. Now, bring on the next race!”
Marc Bourgeois
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team – Team Manager
“We are at the end of another epic adventure. It has been a fantastic rally, and I want to thank the organisers of the TransAnatolia for putting on such a good event. Thanks to the whole team, who did an amazing job supporting our riders. Alessandro was incredible again, and this has been the perfect preparation for him ahead of the Africa Eco Race in January. It was great also to give Matteo a chance on the official bike. He is a young, talented Italian Motorally Champion, and this was his first ever international rally raid event, plus his first time riding in the team, and he gained lots of experience. I think he has a very bright future ahead of him. We also had three more Ténéré Spirit Experience riders taking part in the race, and they performed superbly, showcasing the ability of the standard Ténéré with the GYTR-kits fitted to complete a top four lockout of the B3 class.”
