After making a name for himself in motocross, Gautier Paulin is now venturing into rally-raid by participating in the 2024 Africa Eco Race… but in a car. The race started yesterday in Morocco.
The rider is driving an Apache APH-01, now competing on four wheels. The Frenchman proves to be multifaceted: when he was a teenager, he was in BMW, and from 2007 to 2020, he competed in the MXGP Motocross World Championships. In the premier class, he was a factory rider for Honda and Yamaha, finishing as the runner-up in 2015.
After retiring at the end of 2020, Paulin became involved with the French team in last year’s Motocross of Nations as head coach. Now, he’s competing in the Africa Eco Race in an Apache APH-01 hybrid integrated into the SSV category. It features a Peugeot electric and internal combustion engine, presenting itself as the most advanced T3 prototype ever.