APRILIA TUAREG RACING WRITES A PAGE OF AFRICA ECO RACE HISTORY
FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW

JACOPO CERUTTI CHAMPION OF THE 2025 AFRICA ECO RACE, VICTORY FOR MARCO MENICHINI IN THE UNDER 25 CLASS

Milan, 12 January 2025 – The 2025 edition of the Africa Eco Race comes to a close
with Jacopo Cerutti and Team Aprilia Tuareg Racing playing the leading role in a
thrilling competition which was wide open all the way down to the final timed section.
This second consecutive title is the cherry on top of an unforgettable edition which
ended with the final parade on the banks of the Lac Rose.

The sixteenth edition of the Africa Eco Race covered almost 6,000 km, crossing over
the breathtaking landscape of Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal. It was a gruelling
route which put riders and bikes to a difficult test, confirming the Aprilia Tuareg
Rally’s level of excellence. The last stage took the participants on a final stage
towards the banks of the legendary Lac Rose, thereby marking the triumphal
conclusion of this extraordinary 2025 edition.

Jacopo Cerutti tackled the race with the determination and skill of a champion,
overcoming incredible challenges: from the complex navigation to the treacherous
terrain, from physical difficulties to technical glitches, such as the issues with the rear
tyre mousse and the navigation instrument not working. In spite of it all, Cerutti
defended his title all the way to the last kilometre, taking five stage victories and
another two podiums to confirm his extraordinary feeling with the Aprilia Tuareg
Rally.

Francesco Montanari finished the 2025 edition improving consistently, demonstrating
exceptional maturity. His first stage victory in the Africa Eco Race, along with a total
of three podiums, puts a seal on his outstanding performance, confirming his status
as one of the stars of the African rally.

Marco Menichini, making his début with the Tuareg, took victory in the Junior Under
25 class, as well as third place in the multicylinder class, adding one more trophy to
Team Aprilia Tuareg Racing’s collection in the Africa Eco Race. His performance,
which culminated with sixth place overall, is a result worth remembering.

With this second consecutive title and the results achieved by all the riders, the
Aprilia Tuareg Rally confirms its status as the absolute point of reference in big rally
raid competitions. The symbolic image of this edition took place when it arrived at the
end of the sixth stage on the bare rim due to a problem with the tyre mousse – the
demonstration of a practically unstoppable bike.

Developed in collaboration with the Guareschi brothers’ GCorse, the Tuareg Rally has made significant progress in fine tuning compared to last year, further confirmed by the partnership with Metzeler, and has once again shown its features of versatility, reliability, and high performance in an extreme competition like the Africa Eco Race.

Special thanks to Team Guareschi for their tireless work and to all our partners who made this dream possible: Metzeler, ⁠SC Project, ⁠Acerbis, RK Chain, ⁠Jet Prime, Alpina, Andreani and CHT Chiaravalli.

Caption : JACOPO CERUTTI

JACOPO CERUTTI comments- 

“An edition which ended in the best possible way, in spite of the difficulties we faced
and overcame. I rode well, without making many mistakes. I did not crash and I
managed to stay consistently focused. We had an outstanding advantage in the
sand, both because of my riding style and the performance of the Tuareg Rally, and I
was able to exploit it fully. It was an edition where strategy was fundamental and, in
the last two days, I accomplished an undertaking that even I did not think possible.
When I saw that I could pull away on the dunes, I started to believe and I gave it
100%. I am truly happy for my teammates as well, Cecco and Marco, who did a
brilliant job. A huge thank you to all the members of the team, who proved to be
super dedicated to the cause and were essential to this victory, giving me a highly
competitive Tuareg Rally. Congratulations also to Alessandro Botturi, it was great to
have an opponent like him and to fight to the end.”

Caption : FRANCESCO MONTANARI

FRANCESCO MONTANARI comments -

“I am truly satisfied with this 2025 edition. The first week, I was consistently there at
the front. It was thrilling and I accumulated a lot of experience. After that, with the
more difficult stages, I tackled challenges which taught me a great deal. In the end,
the stage victory came in the eighth stage – a perfect day where I navigated well
without making mistakes. Credit for this goes to everyone, not just to me in the
saddle, but to the entire team which did an incredible job. Congratulations to Jacopo
who had two truly extraordinary days at the end, where he managed to close the gap
behind his direct rival. Applause for Marco and his outstanding results as well.”

Caption: MARCO MENICHINI

MARCO MENICHINI Comments -

“It was an extremely thrilling edition. My race began uphill, with a crash on the first
day – fortunately with no consequences – and I was not at 100% due to a virus.
Nevertheless, it was a crescendo, especially in the second week in Mauritania. I owe
Team Guareschi a great deal for the incredible job they did. The Tuareg Rally is
fantastic and I felt great on it. In the end, I’m finishing with an overall sixth place, first
in the Junior class, and third in the multicylinder class, so I am truly satisfied with the
end result. Huge congratulations to my teammates as well.”

VITTORIANO GUARESCHI, Team Management comments- 

“We are truly happy with the way this 2025 edition went. This is a result that confirms
how strong our team and the Tuareg Rally are. Everyone gave one hundred percent
and Jacopo once again demonstrated that he is an extraordinary champion, tackling
every difficulty with great determination. Cecco made an incredible leap forward, and
Marco, making his début with the Tuareg, showed that he has great talent.”