THE HUGE COMPETITION IN THE FINAL STRAIGHT: EXPECTED ARRIVAL AT LAC ROSE IN DAKAR ON 12 JANUARY 2025
Milan, 8 January 2025 - Francesco Montanari and the Aprilia Tuareg Racing Team enjoyed a great day as Montanari claimed victory in the eighth stage of the Africa Eco Race 2025 in Amodjar, Mauritania. This was the Italian rider’s first overall stage win. Despite physical challenges, Jacopo Cerutti finished in 13th place, holding on to second position in the overall standings.
The eighth stage, spanning 355.62 km, was the first of two loop stages starting and finishing in Amodjar. Riders crossed the Adrar plateau towards Ouadane, facing a mix of sandy sections and undulating trails. Francesco Montanari delivered a brilliant performance, adding this win to his three podium finishes in stages two, three, and five, thus cementing his third position in the overall standings.
Jacopo Cerutti, weakened by a gastrointestinal virus that plagued him throughout the stage, finished in 13th. Despite this, Cerutti remains second overall, 9’49" behind the leader. Marco Menichini (#7), young promise making his debut on Tuareg Rally, Junior class, under 25, also impressed, coming fourth overall, 14:57 behind the leader, and maintaining sixth place in the overall standings.
With all three Tuareg Rally 660 bikes in the top six overall, Aprilia Tuareg Racing confirms his leadership among the manufacturers.
FRANCESCO MONTANARI, #22: “After the last two stages, which were demanding in terms of navigation, I managed to maintain a strong pace and navigate well today. It was a perfect day, and I’m delighted for the team and their outstanding work. This win is a testament to that. We have a perfect bike. I’m sorry for Jacopo, who’s not feeling well, and I hope he recovers soon."
JACOPO CERUTTI, #1: “I’ve not been feeling well — I’ve had a gastrointestinal virus and haven’t been able to eat or drink since yesterday. I started first, but leading the way with so many dunes was tough. My focus was on completing the stage as best as I could.”
AFRICA ECO RACE 2025 IN DIRITTURA FINALE: 16° edizione della competizione, con start ceremony il 28 dicembre 2024 a Monaco (Francia), imbarco dei team partecipanti il 29 e sbarco in Marocco il 31 dicembre.
“On 28 December 2024, applause from the Monegasque public for the 156 competitors and their 121 vehicles who set off on a legendary adventure with the Rose Lake in Dakar as their destination. With breathtaking landscapes, a crossing of Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal”. Source: https://www.facebook.com/africaecorace
The 16th Africa Eco Race. The REAL RACE TO DAKAR! – Africa Eco Race official video:
Stages followed in Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal (stages 7 and 9 in Mauritania cancelled, one due to an accident and the other due to adverse weather conditions with sandstorms). Estimated arrival in Lac Rose/Dakar on Sunday 12 January 2025.
STAGE 1 – THE START! – AFRICA ECO RACE FACEBOOK:
“Aerial view of the start of Stage 1: TANGIER – TARDA. The Africa Eco Race 2025 adventure is officially underway!”.
Aprilia Tuareg Racing team, Africa Eco Race 2025, Stage 1, Tangeri, Marocco.
REWIND – THE QUOTES ON THE EVE. APRILIA TUAREG RACING READY FOR THE 2025 AFRICA ECO RACE: AT THE START, DEFENDING CHAMPION JACOPO CERUTTI, FRANCESCO MONTANARI, AND MARCO MENICHINI ASTRIDE THE APRILIA TUAREG RALLY.
Milan, 23 December 2024 – The Aprilia Tuareg Racing Team gears up to tackle the most eagerly awaited challenge of the year: the 2025 edition of the Africa Eco Race, which will officially start on 28 December. After their winning début last year, Aprilia Tuareg Racing has set sights on the ambitious goal of defending the 2024 title.
Defending champion, Jacopo Cerutti, will be striving to replicate his successful 2024 performance, where he won in his rookie season, making the Tuareg a reference motorcycle in this legendary rally raid. Riding alongside him will be Francesco Montanari, who already participated in the 2024 edition, demonstrating consistent improvement, as well as new entry, Marco Menichini, a promising young rider making his début astride the Tuareg Rally in the Junior class, which is reserved for competitors under 25 years of age.
Following the start with the presentation parade, bikes and vehicles will set out for the African continent to begin the 12 stages. The 2025 Africa Eco Race will start from Tangier on 31 December and will end on 12 January at the legendary Lac Rose in Dakar. The route for this 16th edition will include a total of 5,903 km, including 3,572 km of timed sections, crossing over the gorgeous landscapes of Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal.
During 2024, in preparation for the Africa Eco Race, the Aprilia Tuareg, developed in collaboration with the Guareschi brothers’ GCorse, dominated the national and international rally raid scene. Some of the more noteworthy wins include the title in the Motorally G-1000 class, victory in the Hellas Rally Raid M6 class, and triumph in the multi-cylinder class of the Baja Aragón, also with Jacopo Cerutti. These results confirm the competitiveness and exceptional performance of the Tuareg on any type of terrain, ready to leave its mark in the 2025 Africa Eco Race as well, for the second year in a row.
JACOPO CERUTTI: “The dream is to win again, in spite of the fact that there are almost 4,000 km of timed sections extremely demanding along the way where anything can happen. In the Africa Eco Race, navigation is always a huge challenge, and each day can hold surprises all the way to the last mile. I have trained as well as I can and everything has gone according to plan, so I feel like I’m ready. I’m confident that we will be able to win some of the stages and achieve a good overall position. All that’s left now is to start and to give it our all!”
FRANCESCO MONTANARI:““I can’t wait to start! I’ve been working hard all year to be as prepared as possible for this race and I think that I’m ready. The goal is to improve on last year’s result and to try and put pressure on my rivals in the top end of the standings. I’m obviously also dreaming of taking home some satisfaction and – why not? – even winning some of the stages!”
MARCO MENICHINI: “This will be my second Africa Eco Race and tackling it with new colours and a new bike, has already given us outstanding sensations, it is truly a moving experience. I am pumped up and motivated, as is the team, with which a great feeling developed straight away. The race promises to be demanding with extremely long stages both in Morocco during the first week and in Mauritania the second week, where we’ll also be tackling lots of sand dunes. The main goal is to finish the race and to bring home the best possible result. We know that in a race like this one there are countless variables at play, but we’ll be giving one hundred percent.”
VITTORIANO GUARESCHI: “We’ll be starting with the number 1 on the fairing, so this year all eyes will be on us, but we know how to be ready. We’ve had outstanding pre-race preparation, with several tests which have provided extremely positive feedback, and we’ve also participated in and won international races, as well as winning the Italian Motorally Championship title. We’ll have three bikes on the track for this edition. In addition to Jacopo and Francesco, Marco will also be with us, thereby upping our commitment compared with last year. It will be a demanding race, but we know that we have a highly competitive bike and riders who are skilled and confident in their own capabilities.”
MASSIMO RIVOLA, CEO APRILIA RACING: “After last year’s outstanding performance, it’s hard not to be optimistic about this edition, although being defending champs comes with great responsibility. It won’t be easy to repeat the performance, partly because our rivals are even more prepared. Jacopo is in grand form, and he is determined to demonstrate his full potential. We are also counting on Montanari’s experience, who showed us his value last year, and on Marco Menichini’s skills in the Junior class. We are confident in the Guareschi Team’s great performance.”
APRILIA:
https://www.aprilia.com/en_EN/
