Stage 7 shakes up the order as Yamaha take a Ténéré 1–2, while Marini and Lepan remain within striking distance

Yamaha’s Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team has claimed a second straight 1–2 result at the 2026 Africa Eco Race, with Ténéré Spirit Experience (TSE) riders Kevin Gallas and Mike Wiedemann dominating Stage 7 in the deep sand of Mauritania.

Stage 7 launched straight out of the Chami bivouac and served up one of the event’s hardest days so far: a 462km timed special made up largely of soft sand, plus the first taste of the notorious Mauritanian dunes, before the rally headed to the Aidzidine bivouac.

In his Africa Eco Race debut, Germany’s Gallas continued Yamaha’s stage-winning streak, notching his second win of the rally (after Stage 5) and making it three consecutive stage victories for the Ténéré. The key was strategy: after managing Stage 6 to avoid opening the road too early, Gallas started Stage 7 from 12th position, using riders ahead as reference points while charging from the outset.

Gallas stopped the clock at 3:19:46 to take the stage win and—importantly—move into the overall lead for the first time. His advantage in the general classification now stands at 6 minutes and 12 seconds.

Wiedemann made it a Yamaha 1–2, finishing just 18 seconds behind Gallas. The strong result also lifts him to fifth overall, underlining the pace of the twin-cylinder Ténéré package in rally-raid conditions.

Behind the TSE pair, Yamaha’s factory riders also fought through a demanding day. Former MXGP star Gautier Paulin—still adapting to rally navigation in his first Africa Eco Race on a motorcycle—was among a group caught out by a difficult waypoint, but recovered to finish fifth, 24:18 behind the stage winner. The result moves Paulin up to fourth overall.

Italian rally veteran Alessandro Botturi continued his comeback after losing more than an hour to a technical issue on Stage 4. Botturi not only pushed on through the sand, he also assisted Paulin around the troublesome navigation section, riding with him until the refuelling point. Botturi brought his Ténéré 700 Rally home in 10th on the stage and remains ninth overall.

With Stage 7 in the books, Kevin Gallas (Yamaha Ténéré 700) now leads the Africa Eco Race on 23:25:11, holding Thomas Marini (Husqvarna) at +6:12 and Jean-Loup Lepan (KTM) at +9:40. Behind them, Gautier Paulin sits fourth at +27:54, with Mike Wiedemann fifth at +37:38 after finishing second on the stage. Further back, Jacopo Cerutti (Aprilia) holds sixth at +1:15:36, while Alessandro Botturi remains ninth on +1:38:38 despite a top-10 Stage 7 result, as the rally heads deeper into the Mauritanian dunes with the overall battle still tight at the front.

Africa Eco Race 2026 — Stage 7 Results (Top 20)

  1. #171 Kevin Gallas (Yamaha Ténéré 700) — 5:53:58
  2. #191 Mike Wiedemann (Yamaha Ténéré 700 JYTR) — 5:54:16 (+0:18)
  3. #30 Thomas Marini (Husqvarna 450 Rally) — 6:01:47 (+7:49)
  4. #176 Jean-loup Lepan (KTM 450 Rally Replica) — 6:07:03 (+13:05)
  5. #21 Gautier Paulin (Yamaha Ténéré 700) — 6:18:16 (+24:18)
  6. #6 Marco Menichini (Aprilia Tuareg 660) — 6:24:23 (+30:25)
  7. #17 Matteo Bottino (Kove 800X Rally LS) — 6:25:50 (+31:52)
  8. #99 Robert Van Pelt Jr. (Husqvarna 450 RR) — 6:27:54 (+33:56)
  9. #124 Nicolas Charlier (Yamaha Ténéré 700) — 6:29:05 (+35:07)
  10. #2 Alessandro Botturi (Yamaha Ténéré 700) — 6:30:22 (+36:24)
  11. #128 Max Bianucci (Husqvarna 450 Rally Replica) — 6:30:38 (+36:40)
  12. #80 Roman Krejci (KTM 450 Rally Replica) — 6:37:29 (+43:31)
  13. #109 Antonio Maio (Yamaha Ténéré 700) — 6:42:53 (+48:55)
  14. #91 Benoit Dalle Palle (KTM 450 EXC) — 6:45:28 (+51:30)
  15. #121 Sebastiano Antonello (Kove 450 Rally) — 6:47:39 (+53:41)
  16. #94 Valentin Sertilhanges (KTM 450 Rally) — 6:47:48 (+53:50)
  17. #110 Francesco Montanari (Aprilia Tuareg 660) — 6:53:13 (+59:15)
  18. #92 Stephan Savelkouls (Husqvarna 450 RR) — 7:01:50 (+1:07:52)
  19. #28 Boris Wolters (Husqvarna 450 Rally) — 7:04:19 (+1:10:21)
  20. #150 Matthew Gird (Husqvarna 450 FR) — 7:07:34 (+1:13:36)

Africa Eco Race 2026 — Overall Standings (Top 20)

  1. #171 Kevin Gallas (Yamaha Ténéré 700) — 23:25:11
  2. #30 Thomas Marini (Husqvarna 450 Rally) — 23:31:23 (+6:12)
  3. #176 Jean-loup Lepan (KTM 450 Rally Replica) — 23:34:51 (+9:40)
  4. #21 Gautier Paulin (Yamaha Ténéré 700) — 23:53:05 (+27:54)
  5. #191 Mike Wiedemann (Yamaha Ténéré 700 JYTR) — 24:02:49 (+37:38)
  6. #1 Jacopo Cerutti (Aprilia Tuareg 660) — 24:40:47 (+1:15:36)
  7. #109 Antonio Maio (Yamaha Ténéré 700) — 24:49:22 (+1:24:11)
  8. #6 Marco Menichini (Aprilia Tuareg 660) — 24:54:09 (+1:28:58)
  9. #2 Alessandro Botturi (Yamaha Ténéré 700) — 25:03:49 (+1:38:38)
  10. #94 Valentin Sertilhanges (KTM 450 Rally) — 25:38:34 (+2:13:23)
  11. #99 Robert Van Pelt Jr. (Husqvarna 450 RR) — 25:58:17 (+2:33:06)
  12. #124 Nicolas Charlier (Yamaha Ténéré 700) — 26:15:54 (+2:50:43)
  13. #80 Roman Krejci (KTM 450 Rally Replica) — 26:40:52 (+3:15:41)
  14. #95 Amaury Baratin (KTM 450 Rally) — 27:27:33 (+4:02:22)
  15. #150 Matthew Gird (Husqvarna 450 FR) — 27:28:00 (+4:02:49)
  16. #92 Stephan Savelkouls (Husqvarna 450 RR) — 27:36:50 (+4:11:39)
  17. #50 Hans Dovland (KTM 450 RFR) — 27:37:03 (+4:11:52)
  18. #106 Bertrand Gavard (Yamaha Ténéré 700) — 27:39:51 (+4:14:40)
  19. #121 Sebastiano Antonello (Kove 450 Rally) — 27:46:50 (+4:21:39)
  20. #28 Boris Wolters (Husqvarna 450 Rally) — 27:52:26 (+4:27:15)