It was a memorable visit to the north of Africa for the 2024 Morocco Desert Challenge for the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team and our adventurous Ténéré Spirit Experience clients, with Pol Tarrés securing the overall victory, accompanied by some daring Ténéré riders in the Raid and Racing categories.
Pol Tarrés makes MDC history
Star rider Tarrés was in absolutely sparkling form throughout the race, taking the win on six of the eight stages, including the timed special on the final stage, earning him the GC victory. After more than 30 hours of racing Tarrés’ winning margin over his closest competitor was 2h 21’ 06’’, on his GYTR-equipped Ténéré 700 World Rally machine. His overall success in the general classification saw him make history by becoming the first rider to secure victory at the rally on a twin-cylinder adventure bike. Tarrés’ remarkable performance was all the more impressive given that he was competing against riders on single-cylinder 450cc prototypes, which have previously dominated the race.
Over eight stages, covering 3000km across some of the most challenging terrain on earth, Tarrés set the standards throughout the Morocco Desert Challenge, leading the rally from the off and taking an aggressive approach, which ultimately paid off in style.
Customers supported by the official team
Courtesy of the Ténéré Spirit Experience, French rider Stephane Poulet rode alongside Tarrés in Morocco and he was another high achiever at the event. Poulet helped to secure a Yamaha one-two in the M1.2 class (601cc & above), finishing the Morocco Desert Challenge in a respectable 17th place in the GC, with a best stage result of 12th on the final day of racing.
Meanwhile in the raid category Ténéré Spirit Experience customers such as Alexandre Gomes, Franck Mutin, Marc Girardin, Laurent Edouin and Christophe Edouin enjoyed an incredible adventure. They had full support from the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team, enjoying maintenance of their Ténéré bikes, interaction with professional riders, navigation and riding expertise from the best in the game, logistics management and first-class hospitality.
An excellent balance sheet
Summarising the visit to Morocco, Team Manager of the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team Marc Bourgeois stated, “Pol is still relatively new to rally raid, so he is still learning, but his attitude is superb, and he is always learning. The bike was amazing and allowed Pol to ride at his best. I want to thank the whole team for their efforts at this rally.”
“Honestly, this whole event has been amazing, and securing a Yamaha one-two in class with Stephane caps off an excellent rally for us. It has also been great to have the Ténéré Spirit Experience Raid category riders with us, enjoying the thrills and spills of the rally raid along with the team without the pressure of racing against the clock. The 2024 Morocco Desert Challenge has been epic, and we are already planning for our next race!”
Next up for Bourgeois, Tarrés and the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team is a trip to Turkey for the Transanatolia, from August 31 to September 7.
