Reigning Africa Eco Race champ limps Tuareg to 10th on Stage 7 after problems in the Mauritania maze
Aprilia Tuareg Racing’s adventure at the Africa Eco Race 2026 continued with the conclusion of the seventh stage, 462km from Chami to Aidzidine. This special stage required complex navigation, causing many riders in the leading group to get lost in the treacherous dunes of Mauritania, which inevitably compromised the stage’s results.
Marco Menichini (#6), aboard an Aprilia Tuareg Rally, finished the stage in fourth place in the twin-cylinder class, a result that allows him to maintain sixth place in the overall class standings and eighth overall. Francesco Montanari (#110) also had a testing time, finishing ninth in the +650 class.
It was an unlucky day for Jacopo Cerutti (#1), however. In addition to the navigation difficulties encountered by the riders in the leading group, the reigning champion also had a technical problem that slowed him down further, finishing the stage in 10th place in the twin-cylinder class.
MARCO MENICHINI
“Today was a really tough stage, with soft dunes and a lot of navigation. There were a lot of parallel tracks, and you had to be good at orienting yourself. I also made a few navigation errors, but I managed to find my way back fairly quickly and, from there, I continued at my own pace. The heat is starting to get really tough, especially when we’re testing in the middle of the desert, where temperatures can reach 38°C. Overall, though, I’m happy. It was a good stage. Now we’ll recharge our batteries a bit to prepare for tomorrow, which will be equally tough.”
