A film documenting the 2022 Africa Eco Race campaign of the factory Yamaha team is set to be released on Amazon Prime.
The documentary, called The Great Adventure, documents the journey of Yamaha’s factory rally riders - Alessandro Botturi, who had won the previous two editions of the race, and Pol Tarres - on the 2022 Africa Eco Race which took place last October.
Following a route aimed at representing the Paris-Dakar’s original form, 12 stages made up the rally. It started in Paris and passed through Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal for 6,000km before finishing in the Senegalese capital of Dakar.
Running production-based Yamaha Tenere 700 World Raid machinery, Tarres and Botturi finished 1-2 in-class, despite the Italian Botturi finding himself stuck in the Moroccan desert for 24 hours on the eighth stage.
Paolo Pavesio - Director of Marketing and Motorsport, Yamaha Motor Europe - said: “Racing has been an integral part of Yamaha’s DNA since our foundation seven decades ago, and obviously, the first thing everyone thinks about when it involves competition is winning. This is, of course, also our primary goal. However, racing is so much more. It is about challenging your own limits just as much as the ones of your machine. It is a team effort where the riders are just the final step of a process that involves a huge amount of work by the mechanics and engineers, both at home and during the race.
“If there is a discipline which highlights this process more than others, it is rally raid. It is a sport that, since the beginning of the original Paris-Dakar Rally, also includes discovering unknown landscapes, truly invoking the real spirit of adventure.
“Since the new Ténéré was launched, we have been thinking about bringing it back to its North African routes, to the legendary dunes of “that” desert where so many memories were generated. The Africa Eco Race gave us that opportunity and the equally important objective of raising awareness for Riders for Health, whose mission is to bring aid to people in rural African areas that can only be reached by motorcycle.
“Our riders have exceeded our expectations, taking on the role not only of racers but also ambassadors at the same time, as well as becoming great teammates. And finally, we also secured the victory and a Yamaha 1-2 in class. I am therefore particularly proud that this adventure will be available for all to share with us on Amazon Prime, the first of many more, hopefully.”
The release date for The Great Adventure on Amazon Prime has not yet been announced.
Yamaha’s partnership - now in its second year - with Riders for Health was a central piece in the Iwata marque’s decision to race the AER in 2022, and it is working with the charity again for this year’s race.
A prize auction is being held, offering the highest bidder the chance to experience the ending of this year’s Africa Eco Race with return flights (for two people) and two nights at the five-star King Fahed hotel in Dakar, as well as to meet the Ténéré World Raid Team during the podium ceremony at the famous Lac Rose. Head to the Yamaha Motor For Riders website to enter the auction.
