Author name: Redaction-TSE

The 2024 edition of the Morocco Desert Challenge is fast approaching, and the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team headed by Marc Bourgeois will be well represented with its top riders and the Ténéré Spirit Experience group of adventurous riders. But what is the history of this prestigious race and how did it become the grandiose event it is today?

The Morocco Desert Challenge 2024 will see the competitors and teams take on a 3000km challenge over eight stages, with a new ‘coast to coast’ route starting in Agadir and finishing in Saïdia.

Highly experienced Italian rider Alessandro Botturi is a legend in off-road motorsport and is a big character in the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team. His elite level riding ability, expertise and warm personality make him a huge asset to the official Yamaha team and to the Ténéré Spirit Experience as a whole.

These adventurous Ténéré riders took part in the Africa Eco Race as amateur participants, with the full support of the official Yamaha team. Check out what they had to say about their experience.

Andrea Peterhansel is a phenomenon: a positive force and an elite rider. She has taken part in 11 Dakars, including six in the motorcycle category and one in the truck category, as well as more than 70 international rallies. She also knows the desert very well, having fallen in love with it during a six-month trip to Africa with the Yamaha XT 500, and has competed several times in the Rallye de Tunisie and the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The Ténéré Spirit Expérience program is only strengthened by having her on the team as Sport Manager.

The Africa Eco Race (AER) 2024 was a huge success for the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team and the Yamaha Ténéré Spirit Experience project, with stage wins, a double overall podium and fantastic adventures on the road to Dakar.

Marc Bourgeois, Team Manager of the Ténéré Spirit Expérience, reflects on the experience of the three customers who took part in the 2024 Africa Eco Race. Belgian rider Nicolas Charlier competed in the Racing category. Canadian Mickaël Gros and Frenchman Patrick Morisseau took part in the Raid category.

As 2023 draws to a close the participants in the 15th edition of the Africa Eco Race will head to Monaco ready to take on the challenge of one of the toughest rally raid events in the world.