Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team Ready for Africa Eco Race

The 16th edition of the Africa Eco Race (AER), the world’s largest cross-border rally raid, will see Tarrés and Botturi take their Ténéré World Raid GYTR machines back to their spiritual home (Ténéré comes from the Tuareg word for desert), as they retrace the steps of the original Paris – Dakar rally routes.

The AER features 12 stages spread across 13 days as teams take on some of the most challenging terrain on the planet, crossing the Atlas Mountains and navigating the infamous Sahara desert in North-West Africa before reaching the finish line in Senegal.

Botturi has tasted victory in the AER twice before, in 2019 and 2020, while riding a Yamaha WR450F, while Tarrés created history in 2022 by becoming the first rider to complete the entire race on a twin-cylinder adventure bike, securing a 1-2 in class alongside his teammate as the duo re-wrote the record books on their Ténéré’s. You can relive these exploits from their first AER together thanks to the documentary, “The Great Adventure”, available to watch on Amazon Prime in Italy and the UK.

Botturi and Tarrés finished the 2023 edition of the AER in second and third overall, respectively, after a stunning performance that saw them win seven of the twelve stages between them and come agonisingly close to securing the victory. Tarrés continued to smash records when he won his first desert rally at the 2024 Morocco Desert Challenge, where the Andorran took the win by over two hours and 20 minutes, while Botturi is fresh from finishing second at the TransAnatolia in September.

These results mean Tarrés and Botturi enter the AER full of confidence, despite the former having shoulder surgery in November, as they aim to secure the overall victory, as well as fighting for the win within the Category 4 class for multi-cylinder motorbikes with a capacity of 650cc-1000cc.

Another six riders will also join the team as a part of the Ténéré Spirit Experience (TSE) in the Race category, competing alongside Tarrés and Botturi, while a further four TSE riders will take part in the Raid category, where you get to enjoy the experience of rally raid, without the pressure of racing against the clock.

The AER gets underway with the official starts in Monaco on December 28th. The action kicks off in earnest on January 31st with the first of 12 stages, which will take the team across three countries. The team will spend a rest day in Dakhla before finishing on the picturesque shores of Lac Rose in Dakar on January 12th.

Pol Tarrés
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“I am so excited for the Africa Eco Race! I can’t wait to return to battling again in the desert alongside my teammate Alessandro and the whole team. I feel really good and really strong. This year, even more so than last year. The AER is so tough; you have to stay focused every day and concentrate on your navigation, riding skills, and every little detail, as one mistake can prove very costly. This year, we have a new addition in the shape of Jordi Arcarons, a six-time Dakar podium finisher, who will bring something different to the team. The bike is really good; we know it well and have been developing it for some time, so I feel it is perfect for the desert. I have fully recovered from my shoulder surgery and feel more prepared and better than ever, so Alessandro and I will push as hard as possible to secure the win for Yamaha!”

Alessandro Botturi
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“We are ready and raring to go for the Africa Eco Race! Pol and I finished in second and third a year ago, and this year, we want to do the one-two for Yamaha. The preparation for the AER has been perfect, the team have been amazing, and the bike feels great. We know how hard the race will be, as you can never relax for a moment while racing in the desert, and even the smallest mistake can have big consequences. We are as ready as possible, and I cannot wait to get started!”

Marc Bourgeois
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“After one year, we cannot wait to begin the Africa Eco Race again. It is the toughest race, by far, of the year, and it is where the Ténéré was forged, so with Pol and Alessandro, we will be focused on trying to secure the victory. It has been a great season so far, with Pol winning the Morocco Desert Challenge and Botturi finishing second at the TransAnatolia; plus, both riders have been working hard to improve as much as possible, so we feel in good shape coming into the race. We are also excited to welcome 10 Ténéré Spirit Experience riders, six in the Race category and four in the Raid class, who will experience the whole rally as a part of the official team. We have come here to win and cannot wait to start the race!”