De Africa Eco Race 2025 was er eentje om duimen en vingers bij af te lekken. Het Aprilia Team met Jacopo Cerruti won verdiend, maar de Massimo Botturi op zijn Yamaha Ténéré heeft zijn huid ontzettend duur verkocht. Het resultaat was een beslissing in de laatste kilometers van de laatste getimede manche, waarin een stom plastic netje een hoofdrol zou spelen en Botturi de titel met amper 26 seconden verschil aan zijn neus zag voorbijgaan.
Het stond in de sterren geschreven dat deze editie van de AER een topper zou worden. Alle ogen waren gericht op de strijd tussen Yamaha’s posterboy Pol Tarres en Aprilia’s 2024 kampioen Jacopo Cerruti. Maar de uitslag van de race ken je pas aan de finish en het is een verdomd lang eind van Monaco tot Dakar. Toen Tarres ongelukkig ten val kwam in de eerste manche, moest het Yamaha team zich hergroeperen en dat deden ze fantastisch. Massimo Botturi werd de ster van de show. Iets ouder, iets ervarener in het rallyrijden, maar iets minder fotogeniek dan jonge god Pol Tarres, maar overduidelijk bloedsnel in het diepe zand en kopsterk qua navigatie.
Aprilia vs. Yamaha
Rest enkel nog de vraag: volstaat het om Aprilia van de 1-2 te houden, want Jacopo Cerruti is ook geen doetje. In de eerste manches reden de Tuaregs en Ténérés nek aan nek, maar een darminfectie zou Cerruti in het tweede deel van de wedstrijd flink parten spelen. Botturi liep uit tot een voorsprong van 9 minuten, al maakten alle toppers in de laatste etappes wel navigatiefouten. Onze eigenste Mathieu Liebaert zou zich in de voorlaatste manche nog naar een knappe derde podiumplek rijden, maar de beslissing voor het overall goud werd opgespaard tot de laatste 20 kilometers.
Darminfectie vs. Plastic netje
Cerruti herstelde voldoende van zijn darminfectie om wat tijd goed te maken op de leider en hoewel die er ook en stevig tempo op nahield…zou hij uiteindelijk het onderspit moeten delven door een technische storing. In de allerlaatste racefase pikte hij een plastic net op aan zijn wielas, wat zich keer op keer weer zou vastwringen en de motor onberijdbaar maakte. Na veel prullenwerk en gesukkel in het zware zand, moest Botturi genoegen nemen met een tweede plek, al deed hij dat enorm sportief en blijft de grootste overwinning die op de Noord-Afrikaanse woestijn.
PERSBERICHTEN YAMAHA EN APRILIA
The Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team’s Alessandro Botturi, in partnership with Riders for Health (powered by Two Wheels for Life), missed out on the overall victory by just 26 seconds after a dramatic finish to the final timed stage at the Africa Eco Race. The Italian was on course for the win after an epic race-long battle before some plastic netting hidden under the sand got caught up in his wheels and chain, causing him to lose time and miss out on victory by the tiniest of margins.
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The 16th Edition of the Africa Eco Race involved one of the most incredible two-way duels for victory in rally raid history. Botturi and his rival Jacopo Cerutti, also on a twin-cylinder adventure bike, had been inseparable all race, with the lead changing hands on almost every stage and the duo opening up a considerable advantage over the rest of the field.
Botturi, who had been racing alone since his teammate Pol Tarrés crashed out of the rally on the second day, had three stage victories to his name compared to his compatriot’s four and came into Saturday’s action with a nine-second lead over his rival in the general classification.
The stage itself consisted of a 317 km liaison from Nouakchott in Mauritania across the border into Senegal before the demanding and tricky 82 km special, the last that counted towards the general classification, which ended in Mpal. Having the advantage of starting second, three minutes behind Cerutti, Botturi was absolutely flying through the Sahelian savannah on his Ténéré World Raid GYTR in his bid for victory.
The plastic netting caught up in Alessandro Botturi’s front wheel
The two-time winner of the AER was up by 22 seconds at the first checkpoint and managed his advantage perfectly, ensuring he was still leading the timing screens for the stage by 17 seconds at the second checkpoint. Then, with just 20km to go to the end of the rally, some plastic netting that he had zero chance of avoiding was blown into his path and became ravelled up in his wheels and chain.
Botturi had to stop a couple of times to untangle the netting and remove the worst of the plastic from his drivetrain and brakes, losing vital time. Remounting and pushing to the maximum as he demonstrated his unbelievable determination, he managed to get his bike to the finish line in a time of one hour, two minutes, and 29 seconds, but, crucially, 35 seconds behind Cerutti. This meant that, despite a herculean effort, the Italian had missed out on winning his third AER by just 26 seconds after a distance of 5287 km and over 36 hours of racing.
Despite being distraught at the manner and margin of his loss, he immediately congratulated his rival at the finish line, showcasing the incredible sportsmanship and respect between them both and highlighting the true spirit of rally.
Alessandro Botturi Congratulates Jacopo Cerutti at the finish line of the Africa Eco Race
All that is left now for competitors of the AER is the final Stage 12, which does not count towards the general classification. After a 203 km liaison to the traditional group start on the beach in Dakar, riders take part in a short 22 km “glory run” to the finish line at the famous Lac Rose, where the official podium ceremony will take place, marking the end of a truly exceptional 2025 Africa Eco Race.
Exhibiting the incredible reliability and competitiveness of the standard Ténéré World Raid with the three-stage GYTR Kit fitted, there were four more Yamahas that made it to the finish across some of the harshest and most demanding terrain on the planet, with Ténéré Spirit Experience riders Thierry Traccan (24th), Christophe Meilat (28th), Laurent Cochet (44th), Nicholas Charlier (48th), who won Stage 5 in spectacular fashion, and Jarno D’Orsogna (50th) completing the race.
Africa Eco Race Stage 11 Results
Africa Eco Race General Classification After Stage 11
“What can I say? It was an incredible battle all rally with Jacopo, and we came so close to winning, but it was not meant to be. To suffer such lousy luck is unfortunate, but this can happen in rally. I was pushing as hard as I could, and everything was going to plan until about 20 km before the end of the stage; some plastic netting came from nowhere and got caught up in my bike. I tried my best to remove it, stopping a couple of times and losing time before I was able to get to the end. Sadly, it meant I had missed out on the win by just 26 seconds after a really long and challenging rally. I would like to congratulate Jacopo and his team on the victory and a fantastic race. It was one of the toughest battles of my career, and I have nothing but respect for him. I also want to thank the entire Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team for doing an incredible job all rally, and Yamaha Motor Europe for their faith in me. The bike has been perfect, and apart from today, everything had gone according to plan, but you can be sure we will return even stronger next year.”
— Alessandro Botturi – P2 Overall – 36h15m36s, Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“It was an incredible end to an amazing race. Unfortunately, we finished second, but in rally, anything can happen, as was proved today. Alessandro rode superbly and gave it absolutely everything, but by some pure bad luck, he was denied victory at the very last moment. Honestly, what happened was a freak accident, and no one could have done anything to prevent it, but that still doesn’t make losing out in this manner any easier. Congratulations to Jacopo on an incredible race; whoever won would have deserved it fully, as it is one of the closest and most epic rally raid finishes of all time. There is still the final stage, where we will end the race by the famous Lac Rose, which is steeped in racing history. Obviously, we would have preferred to arrive there as winners, but the whole team can be very proud of what they have achieved, and we will come back stronger.”
— Marc Bourgeois, Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team – Team Manager
| Aprilia Tuareg Rally Queen of Africa for the second year in a row |
| JACOPO CERUTTI AND APRILIA TUAREG RACING WIN THE 2025 AFRICA ECO RACE |
| Jacopo Cerutti and Team Aprilia Tuareg Racing write another memorable page of Africa Eco Race history. With an extraordinary win in the eleventh stage, Cerutti took the 2025 Africa Eco Race title, giving Team Aprilia Tuareg Racing their second consecutive title in this iconic rally raid. The eleventh stage took the riders into Senegal, from Nouakchott to Mpal, for the timed section in the Sahelian Savannah through a mixture of sandy trails and complex navigation. The final standings were announced at the Mpal bivouac, since the eleventh stage is the last one valid for the rankings ahead of the triumphant procession on Sunday with the legendary Lac Rose as the destination. After closing the gap behind the overall leader to just nine seconds with his extraordinary victory in the tenth stage, Jacopo Cerutti started first, blazing the trail, with the goal of overturning the results of the rally in the final decisive timed section for the standings. With a fast pace, Cerutti won the stage with a 35” advantage, also taking the title of 2025 Africa Eco Race Champion for the second year in a row. With this result, the Aprilia Tuareg Rally confirms its status as the bike to beat and Cerutti as the rider to beat, despite the physical difficulties he faced in the final stages with extraordinary resilience. Francesco Montanari finished the eleventh stage fourth overall, +4’03” behind the leader, and he is now forty-first in the overall standings, partly because of a DNF in the tenth stage. Marco Menichini, on the other hand, finished eighth overall, +8’04” behind the winner, consolidating his sixth place in the overall standings and also taking the win for the Under 25 category. Both riders confirmed increasingly higher performance throughout the 2025 Africa Eco Race, further reinforcing the competitiveness of Team Aprilia Tuareg Racing. This second consecutive title and the positive results achieved by all the Aprilia Tuareg Racing riders confirm the versatile features and reliability of the Tuareg Rally in an environment with extreme conditions, such as those experienced in the 2025 edition of the Africa Eco Race. JACOPO CERUTTI “This win has a special flavour. Today I started really well and I knew I would have to give one hundred percent to close the gap. It was a hard race, full of unexpected surprises, but the team and I knew how to react in every situation. I wish to dedicate this win to the team and their tireless efforts. Winning the Africa Eco Race for the second consecutive year is a dream.” MASSIMO RIVOLA “We must celebrate Jacopo and the Aprilia Tuareg Rally who proved to be highly competitive. We should point out Jacopo’s ability to tackle challenges, in spite of the numerous misadventures such as the issues with the mousse in his rear tyre, the organisation’s navigation instrument which didn’t work, and the gastrointestinal virus. He did something truly special, keeping us all on the edge of our seats until the end – not only Aprilia fans, but all motorsport enthusiasts. This win is even more valuable when you consider that he started this stage from behind in the overall standings. Congratulations to Jacopo and Team Guareschi, who never gave up all the way to the end.“ |