The Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team’s Alessandro Botturi, in partnership with Riders for Health (powered by Two Wheels for Life), put in another superb performance to secure second on the third stage of the Africa Eco Race and stay in the fight for victory, with the Italian now second in the general classification.
Botturi headed into the third stage of the 16th edition of the Africa Eco Race (AER), leading the overall standings by one minute and 57 seconds after winning Stage 2 in dominant fashion. However, it was a tough second day of action for his teammate Pol Tarrés, who was forced to withdraw from the rally after a crash, although the Andorran luckily escaped any significant injuries.Despite this setback, the team were determined to race on, with Botturi acting as the sole rider and aiming for his third victory in the AER. Ahead of the 48-year-old was an extremely tough Stage 3 that featured the second-longest special of the race. Starting from Tagounite, competitors faced a 452 km route across the tricky soft sands of Erg Cheggaga, the flat chotts of Irikki, and 94 km of liaisons before ending at the bivouac in Touizgui.

Botturi led off the stage and, despite having no trails or other riders to follow, maintained a superb pace on his Ténéré World Raid GYTR, battling against his main rival in the general classification for the majority of the day to finish the special in second with a time of six hours, 11 minutes, and 40 seconds.

This meant Botturi conceded the rally lead but maintained his 100% record of finishing each stage in the top two positions. He now occupies second place in the overall standings, with a combined time of ten hours, 35 minutes, and 54 seconds, trailing the leader by just one minute and 22 seconds, with nine stages left in the race to Dakar.

Next for Botturi and the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team is the longest special of the entire rally, Stage 4, which starts directly from the bivouac with a 468 km timed segment. Featuring stunning landscapes, participants will take on a variety of terrains. These include fast gravel tracks and rocky trails before they hit soft sand and massive dunes as they leave the mountains behind for the vast expanse and challenging navigation of the southern Moroccan desert, with a short 14 km liaison to the bivouac in Laayoune.

Alessandro Botturi – P2 Overall – 10h35m54s
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“Today was a very tough stage. It was physically demanding, and the navigation was tricky. I enjoyed a great battle with my main rival, and we rode together for long parts of the stage. It was a case of getting through today and ensuring we made no mistakes to stay in the fight for the overall victory. The bike was superb once again and allowed me to push; now, we must continue this momentum. Tomorrow’s stage will also be tough as we head deeper into the desert, but I love riding in the dunes, so I am looking forward to it.”

Marc Bourgeois
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team – Team Manager
“It was an important day today for Alessandro to stay focused, especially after what happened to Pol on Stage 2 and the fact he was opening the track, plus we crossed the first major dunes of the rally. It was a very tough stage, featuring the second-longest special of the race, so we are happy with second place today because we are still in the hunt for victory. There are still nine stages to go, and he is only just over a minute off the lead. Tomorrow will be a different challenge, as it starts very fast, and then we hit the real desert, which makes navigation so much harder as there are no landmarks to work off, so we need to stay focused and ensure we keep up the good work.”