The 2018 Ténéré 700 World Raid kicked off in Australia. The tour’s first ambassador, Yamalube Official Yamaha Rally Team rider Rodney Faggotter. Rodney has a decade-long history riding Yamaha’s both for official teams and independently. He carries a weight of experience with him that’s hard to beat having battled the odds and elements to conquer the mighty Dakar Rally at the start of 2018.
Rod hooked up with own Ténéré Tragics, where they attended the Ténéré Tour, a specialist tour full of Ténéré bikes from throughout the years.
Conquering the Dunes with Stephane Peterhansel
The second stage of the tour takes place in one of the world’s most inspirational locales for off-road adventure, the Moroccan desert. Deserts, plains, rocks and mountains abound in a landscape that screams adventure, mystery and intrigue. Follow the tour as it finds its way to Merzouga, a legendary location for its yearly rally, part of the Rally Raid calendar, but also as a part of the historic Paris to Dakar Rally. The Ténéré 700 World Raid picks up the perfect ambassador for the job, the living legend
Stephane Peterhansel. Of the thirteen Dakar wins Peterhansel has racked up over his record-breaking career, six of them have been on bikes from the Ténéré line. Join Peterhansel in his stomping ground, the place where he made history, and see what dreams can be made of.
Living the Dakar Dream with Adrien van Beveren
Stage three kicks off in Argentina with Adrien van Beveren taking up the reins as ambassador. Follow him as he heads back to attack the harsh conditions in South America, a place where legends are born and where the highest peaks carry the promise of great things. The Yamaha Racing star has racked up an outstanding three back to back wins at the legendary Enduropale du Touquet on his Yamaha YZ450F. On top of that, he wowed the world with his first outing in the Dakar Rally netting a staggering 6th place overall as part of the Yamalube Yamaha Junior Rally Team. That performance earned him a place in the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team where he stepped up again, this time taking 4th overall, finishing only 1 minute off a podium position. Adrien will be pushing the Ténéré 700 World Raid to its limits in the terrain that he came so close to victory over earlier in the year at the 2018 Dakar Rally.
Reaching New Heights with European Legends
For stage four, Yamaha dives into the largest part of the 2018 Ténéré 700 World Raid, the European stage. Nick Sanders, a world-famous bike explorer, will be bringing his globetrotting adventure lifestyle to the experience. His company, Nick Sanders Adventures, is a cornerstone of the Destination Yamaha Motor platform and for good reason. In his career, he has racked up numerous superhuman feats and set out to achieve the unachievable at every opportunity. From record-breaking circumnavigations of the globe to long boating across the English Channel, Nick is an inspiration to dreamers everywhere.
David Frétigné joins the tour as ambassador and is ready to help those eager to learn to delve into the Ténéré life. David has had a long and successful career as a top-flight Enduro racer and has brought home the French Enduro Championship title on multiple occasions with the Yamaha WR450F. He’s also a seasoned Dakar rider and has completed the 2015 Africa Eco Race on the XT1200Z Super Ténéré displaying his affinity with the Ténéré spirit, never waiting to chase the next horizon.
Touratech founder Herbert Schwarz has adventure in his veins and he’s dedicated his life to enabling other intrepid explorers in achieving their dreams. His first two items were a set of aluminum panniers and an illuminated motorcycle computer that Schwarz created for his own travels on all continents, and from there the new adventure segment was born. Herbert Schwarz has developed adventure equipment for almost three decades now and represents everything the Ténéré Spirit is about. Joining the 2018 Ténéré 700 World Raid as ambassador, Herbert Schwarz will be putting over 850,000km of worldwide adventure experience to good use.
Cristóbal Guerrero has enjoyed great success in Enduro, winning the Spanish Enduro Championship four years in a row aboard Yamaha machines as well as placing solidly in the top six for years for Yamaha on the world stage. His experience in off-road will be essential on the 2018 Ténéré 700 World Raid.
Alessandro Botturi takes the lead on the Italian leg. Botturi is a legend in the Enduro scene, competing in twelve seasons of the world championship and winning nine Italian Enduro Championship titles as well as two ISDE wins as part of Team Italy. He made the move to Yamaha and secured a win at the 2015 Merzouga Rally as well as three Dakar Rally entries aboard his Yamaha WR450F. The Italian leg of the tour marks the end of the adventure and Botturi and the 2018 Ténéré 700 World Raid crew will be taking you on an odyssey through the mountains with the Hard Alpi Tour. A weekend’s worth of whipping around the alps most spectacular road and trails, high above the clouds and amongst snowy peaks, will conclude the World Raid.
More information about the tour will be communicated in the coming weeks, so make sure you check out the dedicated site www.World-Raid.com
