Becoming a distinguished Rally-Raid rider with the Ténéré Spirit Experience is an epic journey and it’s one which beckons riders from a rich variety of backgrounds. The elite level riders and highly valued clients involved in our growing project have come into our sport from a wide array of disciplines and that’s exactly how it should be…
Given the expertise, training, and time commitments required to participate competently in Rally-Raid, it is rarely the initial path taken by young riders – although there are always exceptions to the rule.
the view from the manager
Many riders start their love affair with two wheels on pushbikes, minibikes, pit bikes and pee wee dirt bikes before making their way up to a competitive level in road-racing, supermotard, trials, enduro, motocross, supercross and other formats of racing.
The manager of the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team and the leader of the Ténéré Spirit Experience programme, Marc Bourgeois, is a highly experienced rider himself, with a long career at the top level in enduro behind him. His professional highlights included 15 podium finishes in the Enduro World Championship and becoming ISDE World Champion, before he became a Rally-Raid instructor and Team Manager at the highest level.
Meanwhile Ténéré Spirit Experience instructor Loïc Minaudier is a high experienced off-road, enduro and Rally-Raid competitor who also competes in the Dakar as a co-driver in the Cars category. Ténéré Spirit Experience customer Nicolas Charlier is a competitive supermoto and enduro rider, who participated in the Rallye du Maroc in the SSV class before making a highly successful two-wheeled Rally-Raid debut with us at the Africa Eco Race in January 2024.
Team manager Bourgeois takes up the story, explaining, “There are many, many top riders who have made these transitions between formats. If we refer back to the previous Yamaha Dakar programme, with the American rider Andrew Short, he was a specialist in supercross and motocross too. He did two years with us, with the official Yamaha Rally Team on the 450cc. We can talk about other previous riders too, like Stéphane Peterhansel, who rode the old Super Ténéré and before that was already a professional rider with very good skills in enduro.”
He continues, “These riders come into Rally-Raid from different backgrounds with some common skills, having practiced motorcycle riding at a high level, in disciplines like trials, enduro, motocross or supercross, but in the end we all have the same passions and motivations… To discover new landscapes, to have that sensation of liberty, to explore and ride in vast open spaces.”
The Ténéré Spirit Experience is all about encouraging riders of all backgrounds and ability levels to try Rally-Raid for themselves. Our Yamaha-approved training centres help top level riders prepare for competition but also welcome beginners who may not have previously excelled in another format of riding or racing, allowing them to take the first steps on the path to attending a Rally as a rider.
An inclusive approach – all are welcome
Bourgeois states, “It’s very helpful if you already have a good level of riding in one discipline, but in the end it is a pleasure to just ride and to discover Rally-Raid. You then need to try it and see if you like it, but 85% or 90% of riders who try it find it very special. The freedom… new riders just love it and they want to continue.”
He adds, “It’s also about learning to play under new rules, because in the end Rally-Raid follows established rules, to ride with the roadbook. So it’s about learning that common language to be able to ride and to know where you need to go. It’s like a game. So that’s a challenge to learn again, even if you are already a good rider in enduro, motocross or trials you need to take some lessons with an instructor or to begin with an easy rally to understand how it works.”
Bourgeois has also managed and witnessed first-hand the evolution of Pol Tarrés’ career from arriving into the Rally-Raid scene in 2022 as a well-recognised and successful trials and hard enduro champion. Even for a rider of Pol’s ability and prowess he had a lot to learn when he made the switch to competing in the desert…
“Pol for example was already a very good trials and enduro rider before he started riding in Rallies,” says Bourgeois, “So he already had really good knowledge and expertise of competition. Pol started on the journey into Rally-Raid with us and that was something completely new for him. He started in the Tunisia Desert Challenge and that was an event full of discovery for him. There were some mistakes and so many emotions. He got the taste for it, after a few kilometres, a few days. After the event he worked more on the navigation and then he liked it, that new sensation, of the freedom in the desert and to ‘play’ with navigation equipment.”
“It’s an adventure that produces really special sensations and emotion. You have to become part of a team in order to achieve a good result,” comments Bourgeois.
That is exactly what Tarrés did, on his way to winning the 2023 Transanatolia and the 2024 Morocco Desert Challenge titles.
the importance of teamwork
Bourgeois concludes, “In other disciplines of course the team are doing important work in the background, but in Rally-Raid it is different. At the Africa Eco Race for example it is 12 days and you need a strong team there to support you as a rider. Strong logistics, strong mechanics, strong management, strong stock controller, because you need to be able to solve problems quickly, in just a few minutes. So it’s a special sport and the feeling with the entire crew is unique.”
Many of the Ténéré Spirit Experience customers who join us in participation at events such as the Africa Eco Race, the Carta Rallye, the Morocco Desert Challenge and Transanatolia are enthusiasts and regular riders of touring bikes, adventure bikes, supermoto bikes, quad bikes or dirtbikes of a wide variety. All have a hunger for adventure and all are welcome.
Whatever your background in riding motorcycles, if you want to dive into Rally-Raid with the Ténéré Spirit Experience, take part in our quick rider evaluation and we’ll let you know about the next steps to take.
