Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website Mixed Fortunes for Ténéré World Raid Team During TDC Stage 2
aprile 24, 2022 - Yamaha Racing

Mixed Fortunes for Ténéré World Raid Team During TDC Stage 2

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The Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Team went through the highs and lows of #rally #racing while contesting the second stage of the #tunisiadesertchallenge on Friday as Alessandro Botturi finished in a commanding second, while his teammate Pol Tarres was nineteenth after a minor crash.

The second stage of the TDC was a 360km special that featured the riders taking on fast stretches of tarmac and gravel roads, as well as flowing dusty trails, which proved to be a real challenge with several bikes suffering from mechanical issues due to the extreme heat and sandy terrain. Having performed superbly in the opening 60km Prologue against the more specialized 450cc machines, the team were confident of building on their success on the second day with the all-new production Yamaha Ténéré 700 World Raid bikes. In #rally Raid, though, anything is possible, and the team experienced both the joys and frustration the sport can bring during an eventful Friday.

After a 120km liaison to the start of the stage, Botturi began from third but encountered a navigational issue after 10km that saw him lose over 20 minutes. Not panicking, the 46-year-old used all his experience to stay calm, double back and find the route again before showing exactly what he is capable of. Back on track, the Italian pushed hard for the rest of the stage and by the fuel stop, was up to sixth place. Heading out after the break riding alongside his teammate, Botturi continued to charge through the field and claw back time on the leaders before finishing in second. He completed the stage in 4h 56’ 06”, just six minutes behind the winner and moved up one place to second in the overall classification with a time of 5h 38’ 09”, trailing the leader by eight minutes and 51 seconds.

Tarres was in a buoyant mood in the morning after finding out he had been promoted one place in the prologue result to ninth and was looking forward to continuing his maiden #rally experience on the second day. The Spaniard enjoyed a lightning start and was involved in the battle for the stage victory right from the beginning. He led at the first waypoint, and when he arrived at the service point, he was in second. Setting out after the fuel stop with his teammate, both Yamaha riders were setting a scorching pace and battling in the podium positions before disaster struck. A small crash forced Torres to have to stop to carry out some minor repairs to his bike, which, when combined with some navigational errors, resulted in him losing over an hour. 

After remounting, he showed incredible spirit to claw back time and end the stage in a respectable 19th. Sore from his crash - but otherwise okay - and frustrated after such a good start, the 26-year-old aims to bounce back in Stage 3 to make up the lost time. He completed Friday’s stage in 6h 11’ 31”, 1 hour and 21 minutes behind the winner, and he is now 17th in the overall classification, with a gap of 1 hour and 30 minutes to the top.

The Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Team, in partnership with Riders for Health, are back in action on Sunday with Stage 3, a 350km special through the gruelling desert terrain that starts and finishes at the Bivouac in Matous.


Alessandro Botturi – P2 (4h 36’ 06”)
Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Team 

It was another good day on the Ténéré 700 World Raid! I had a good start, but after about 10km, I made a small navigational mistake that meant I was on the wrong track and had to turn back. This cost me about 20 minutes, but once I got back on the route, I was able to push hard to make up the time. The bike was awesome again. It was a High-speed but tough stage, with a mix of gravel tracks and some sandy trails, and the bike handled it superbly. I am happy to finish in P2, as it shows how strong we can be despite the small navigational issue. I am looking forward to Stage 3 already!”


Pol Tarres – P19 (6h 11’ 31”)
Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Team
Stage 2 was really good at the start; I felt great on the bike and pushed hard. When I arrived at the service point, I was in second, and my plan from then was to follow my teammate Alessandro. I knew if I rode with him, I would be on the podium because we are really fast together, but unfortunately, I had a crash. Obviously, I am frustrated as I had the pace to win the stage or at least get a podium, but as I said, this is my first #rally, and I am still learning. I am confident we can bounce back, and I am excited to see what I can do tomorrow.”

Manual Lucchese
Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Team – Team Manager
The stage went well in the end for both riders, but it has been a day of ups and downs. Alessandro made a small navigation error at the start, which lost him time, but he showed his class by being consistent for the rest of the stage and catching the other riders and finishing second. He did an amazing job and found his rhythm brilliantly. Pol started very fast, led the first section of the stage, and looked good. We must remember, though, that this is his first #rally, and he had a small crash and made some minor mistakes, but he showed what he is made of by making it back to the bivouac in 19th. The #rally is long, we feel we are heading in the right direction, and we are looking forward to Stage 3.”