The Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team, in partnership with Riders for Health (powered by Two Wheels for Life), faced contrasting fortunes during Stage 2 of the 2025 Africa Eco Race as Alessandro Botturi stormed to victory to take the overall lead of the general classification, while his teammate Pol Tarrés, unfortunately, crashed out of the rally while battling at the front.
Botturi and Tarrés headed into the second stage of the 16th edition of the Africa Eco Race (AER) in second and third, respectively, after the opening day’s action. Having covered over 700 km during the first stage, Stage 2 saw competitors start from Tarda, with a 19 km liaison to the 319 km special stage, before another 19 km liaison to the bivouac in Tagounite, for a total of 357 km.
Consisting of a little bit of everything, including fast, rugged tracks, sand, rocks, and the first dunes of the rally, the second stage certainly ramped up the difficulty level after the first day’s 42.17 km special that had served as a slightly gentler introduction to the world’s largest cross-border rally raid.
Alessandro Botturi, starting second, immediately began to hunt down the rally leader ahead of him. Catching him towards the end of the stage, the experienced Italian brought his Ténéré World Raid GYTR machine home in a time of three hours, 44 minutes, and 46 seconds to secure the win. After such a strong performance, the 48-year-old now has a one-minute and 57-second lead in the overall classification, with a combined time of four hours, 24 minutes, and 14 seconds.
Tarrés got off to a superb start during the special stage and was setting a fast pace when disaster struck for the Andorran. While making up time on the riders ahead of him, at the 119 km mark, he suffered an unlucky crash and was knocked unconscious. After being checked by the AER medical team, he was airlifted to the hospital as a precaution for further scans. Sadly, this ended the 31-year-old’s participation in the rally, meaning Botturi will continue the team’s hunt for victory as the sole rider.
Next is the 546 km Stage 3, consisting of a 15 km liaison from the bivouac to the start of a gruelling 452 km special stage, the second longest of the event. The stage features tricky sandy trails that pass by the famous Erg Cheggaga, the flat chotts of Irikki, and some rocky tracks shaped by the recent rains in the area before a 79 km liaison to Touizgui. The challenging nature of the route makes it a crucial day for all competitors in the AER.
Alessandro Botturi – P1 – 4h24m14s
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“First of all, I am glad that Pol is okay. He was riding really well and was very unlucky with his crash, and I wish him a speedy recovery. Today was a very tough stage, with the first real dunes of the rally and a little bit of everything thrown in for good measure. Navigation also proved extremely difficult, but I did not make a single mistake, and my Ténéré World Raid GYTR never missed a beat. It is great to be leading the rally, but there is still a very long way to go, so we need to rest and re-focus our energy for tomorrow’s long special stage.”
Pol Tarrés – Retired
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“I am devastated about today. I can’t really remember what happened, and it was a real shame as I was pushing hard and making up time on the riders ahead of me. I am sorry for the team; they have worked so hard, but sometimes these things happen in rallies. I wish them and Alessandro the best of luck for the rest of the event, and I will be cheering them on. I am gutted I can’t continue to race, but I will come back even stronger and ready to fight for victory once again!”
Marc Bourgeois
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“Firstly, we are just grateful that Pol is okay. It was such a shame what happened today, as he has been riding superbly, but he made a tiny error, and his punishment for such a small mistake seems disproportionate, as it led him to have to withdraw from the rally. The whole team wishes him a speedy recovery. The second stage was a big step up from yesterday and was the first real day of action. Alessandro did an amazing job; he pushed hard, rode superbly, plus used all of his experience to close the gap to the rider ahead of him, and he now has an almost two-minute lead in the standings. However, there is still a long way to Dakar, and as we have seen today, anything can happen.”
