THE ITALIAN DUO, JACOPO CERUTTI AND THE APRILIA TUAREG RALLY, HAVE WON EVERY COMPETITION THE HAVE TAKEN PART IN
Milan, 14 January 2025 - Jacopo Cerutti and the Aprilia Tuareg Racing Team have had an intense twelve months full of remarkable achievements. A year ago, they secured their first title at the Africa Eco Race, after the decision to embark on an important project.
Just two years after it’s unveiling, the "Back to Africa" project, designed to bring Aprilia back to major desert races, celebrates another triumph, consolidating its status as a leader in rally-raid competitions. Speed, reliability and a winning strategy were the keys to success, confirming the Aprilia Tuareg Rally as the benchmark for desert racing.
The last twelve months have been nothing but victories for Cerutti and Aprilia: the G-1000 class win at the Motorally, including the first ever overall victory for a twin-cylinder bike at the Rapino stage, the M6 class win at the Hellas Rally Raid and the triumph in the multicylinder class at the Baja Aragón.
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It is simply impossible to do better, but Aprilia Tuareg Racing has managed to surpass itself because winning is difficult, but maintaining that success is even harder. For this reason, defending the title won in last year's edition of the Africa Eco Race was no easy task.
The African rally was decided in the final timed section, with a fierce battle across almost 6,000 kilometers of African terrain, from sand to dunes. From Monaco (France) to the Lac Rose (Dakar/Senegal), Jacopo Cerutti and his Aprilia Tuareg Rally won the 2025 edition, writing another historic chapter in this rally raid after last year's title. Over 6,000 kilometers, the Aprilia Tuareg Rally did not encounter any technical problems. With three Tuareg bikes at the start, they covered a total of 18,000 kilometers in the African desert.
As reigning champion and pre-race favorite, Jacopo Cerutti faced formidable and highly experienced rivals. His Aprilia Tuareg Rally, developed in collaboration with the Guareschi brothers' GCorse, once again proved to be a winning bike capable of overcoming and dominating the toughest desert challenges.
Cerutti rode with confidence from the start, demonstrating his mastery of navigation and relying on a competitive bike with exceptional performance on all terrains. The battle for the overall lead was intense until the final timed section. However, the journey was not without its critical moments: treacherous terrain, physical difficulties caused by a gastrointestinal virus that pushed him beyond his limits and technical setbacks such as the issues with the rear tyre mousse and the navigation instrument not working. Despite these hurdles, Cerutti remained focused and attacked relentlessly in the final stages, taking victory from his closest rival on the final timed section.
In his second year of participation, Francesco Montanari showed impressive growth with four podium finishes, including his first stage win in the Africa Eco Race, establishing himself as one of the event's key players. His solid and consistent performance marked a significant leap from his debut appearance.
Marco Menichini, making his debut in the Tuareg Rally, was the revelation of this edition. The young rider won the Junior Under 25 class, finished third in the multicylinder class and sixth overall, demonstrating an incredible synergy with the Tuareg Rally right from the start.
Claudio Spanu’s performance is also worth a mention who won the FX class of the Italian Motorally Championship. Spanu is another example of the bike and team's ability to excel in the world's toughest off-road conditions.
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MASSIMO RIVOLA, Aprilia Racing CEO: “What Jacopo and the Guareschi team have achieved with this incredible bike over the last twelve months is truly special. To win the latest edition of the Africa Eco Race in this way, fighting until the final timed section, is an extraordinary achievement and a testament to the determination and desire to win of this group. The Aprilia Tuareg has once again proved to be a true benchmark, as has Jacopo. Congratulations also to Cecco, Marco and Claudio for their excellent results.”
APRILIA:
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