Yesterday marked the end of the 15th edition of the Africa Eco Race, with the final stage reaching the shores of Lac Rose. It was a celebration of Jacopo Cerutti’s triumph.
The Aprilia Racing GCorse rider led from the first day but faced strong opposition from the Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Team duo, Alessandro Botturi and Pol Tarres, who shared most of the stage victories between them.
Cerutti was the fastest in stages 1, 2, 4, and 9, while Botturi came out on top in stages 3, 5, 7, and 10. Tarres, on the other hand, won stages 6, 8, and 11. The 12th stage was won by Nicola Dutto (Offroad Crew/KTM), who beat teammates Julián Villarrubia García and Ruben Saldana Goni by four seconds. Botturi and Cerutti finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
In the overall classification, Cerutti was the winner with a 6m38s lead over Botturi, with Tarres completing the podium. Alexandre Vaudan (Casteu Trophy/KTM) finished fourth, over four hours behind the top three. On the final day, Attilio Fert (France Raod Book/KTM) finished fifth. Further down, the only Portuguese rider in the race, Nuno Silva (Old Friends Rally Team/KTM), finished 14th. His best daily result was 15th place in the ninth stage.
Final top ten:
