YAMAHA wins the Addax Rally!
18 November 2025
We left for Morocco at the beginning of November to take part in the Addax Rally, a 1700 km rally-raid in 5 stages. A “small” rally that is ideal for training for the Africa Eco Race.
The Addax Rally is a rally raid with a cloverleaf format, meaning that the bivouac remains fixed throughout the event.
Five riders joined us for this rally raid:
- Alessandro Botturi, our official rider.
- Antonio Maio, iconic Portuguese rider with several Dakar rallies under his belt.
- Kevin Gallas, a German rider who excels at hard enduro with the Ténéré, and who competed in his first rally raid with us this year: the Carta Rally.
- Mike Wiedemann, a German rider who has competed in several Dakar rallies and who discovered rally raiding in Morocco on a Ténéré 700 as part of our team.
Bertrand Gavard, who has two Dakar rallies under his belt, participated in the Carta Rally alongside us and is preparing for the Africa Eco Race.
STAGE 1
The first day of the Addax Rally featured a 54.8 km prologue, mostly in the dunes, followed by a first special stage of 149 km. On the program: small dunes, rocky tracks, challenging navigation to Begaa and Erg Znagui, before returning to the Merzouga camp.
It is the Portuguese Antonio Maio., invited to join the Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team on the official bike, who finished the day at the top of the overall standings. The multiple Portuguese champion and Dakar finisher impressed in his first desert rally raid on the Ténéré 700 Rally: third in the prologue and then winner of the first special stage in 2 hours 10 minutes 31 seconds, he took the overall lead with a 2 minute 56 second advantage.
STAGE 2
The second stage, the longest of the rally at 388.92 km, put the drivers’ nerves to the test. From Merzouga, they crossed the fast tracks of Taouz, the dry riverbeds of Jdeid, and the sands of Ramlia, where navigation once again made all the difference.
Botturi had posted the fastest time in Stage 1, but a 15-minute penalty for missing a waypoint dropped him to fifth in the stage and fourth overall. Disappointed but determined, the 50-year-old Italian responded perfectly by winning Stage 2 with a time of 5 hours, 41 minutes, and 26 seconds, more than two minutes ahead of his closest rival. This moved him up to second place overall, just 3 minutes and 21 seconds behind the leader.
For Maioafter the joy of victory in the first special stage, Stage 2 proved more complicated: a heavy fall 50 km from the finish line. He managed to get back on his bike and finished sixth, but after undergoing checks at the hospital, he and the team decided to return to Portugal for further tests.
STAGE 3
The third stage is a real navigation challenge: 370 km between Erfoud and Rissani, then dry riverbeds, loose stones, and rough tracks towards Jorf.
Botturi continues his comeback despite his penalty on the first day and finishes second in 5 hours 27 minutes 02 seconds, just 46 seconds behind the winner.
The winner is none other than Kevin Gallas, Ténéré Spirit Experience (TSE) rider. The German, who has already participated in several events with TSE, once again confirmed his potential in rally raids by winning the special stage in 5 hours, 26 minutes, and 16 seconds. The Ténéré thus maintains a perfect record: three wins in three stages.
STAGE 4
This fourth special stage, covering 373 km, takes drivers through the endless dunes of the Sahara, with fesh-fesh, wadis, and technical tracks heading towards Ouzina and then Ramlia. Without any visual landmarks, navigation is extremely complex and many drivers get caught out.
At this point in the rally, the race had become a duel between Botturi and Gallas.. The German leads by 4 min 04 s, and the two men are more than 44 minutes ahead of the third-placed rider.
STAGE 5
For this final 283 km special stage, the final duel promises to be epic. Botturi, in partnership with Riders for Health (Two Wheels for Life), and Gallas (TSE) will battle it out between Merzouga and Merzane, across dunes, wadis, and dusty tracks. Only 1 min 05 s separate the two men in the overall standings, and their lead over the next rider is 50 minutes.
Botturi opens the track and sets a fast pace. Gallas starts three minutes behind, aiming to catch up with him and stay with him to secure his victory.
But the outcome of the duel came sooner than expected: a technical problem with Botturi’s bike forced him to stop at the refueling station. As the race was primarily a test for the team, he preferred not to take any risks and was forced to retire.
Gallas finished the special stage alongside Mike Wiedemann, who won Stage 5. Kevin Gallas clinched overall victory, an achievement made all the more impressive by the fact that this was only his second rally raid.
Kevin Gallas wins Addax Rally 2025 with Ténéré 700 World Raid GYTR!
What a week! A superb challenge and excellent training for our next goal: ’Africa Eco Race.
The Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team is now turning its attention to the highlight of its season: the 2026 Africa Eco Race, from January 24 to February 7, covering more than 6,000 km between Tangier and Dakar, following in the footsteps of the original Dakar Rally, the ultimate test for man and machine.
