You need to really feel slightly little bit of sympathy for Yamaha racer Alessandro Botturi. Sure, he is been using within the high three all all through the 2024 Africa Eco Race to date. He’s gained a number of levels, too. In reality, he is carried out so effectively that he was the uncommon rider who hadn’t had any time penalties assessed in opposition to him throughout this occasion; that’s, till Stage Nine.
For the stage, the 2024 Africa Eco Race subject did a loop across the metropolis of Amodjar in Mauritania. An exquisite place, but in addition a sizzling and difficult one for the riders. Technically, Botturi did end forward of his two closest rivals. However, a six-minute velocity penalty knocked his time again down, and it was Jacopo Cerutti on his Aprilia Tuareg 660 that picked up the official stage win.
Leading from the entrance of the pack is one factor, however one of the crucial enjoyable issues to observe in racing is redemption runs. When you might have a rider begin from someplace within the again, after which they’re in a position to steadily overtake till they end in a significantly better spot than they began, it is what makes racing enjoyable. No one likes a parade, proper?
Remember Joan Pedrero and his Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250? It’s a large machine in comparison with lots of his rivals, however Pedrero has been cementing each his and the Pan America’s bona fides in rally raids for the previous couple of years. At the start of Stage Nine of the 2024 AER, he began in twenty third place. Even although he briefly crashed through the stage, he someway managed to maintain his eyes on the prize and end in ninth place for the stage. That’s a 14-place bounce. Impressive, if we do say so ourselves.
Here are the highest 10 riders within the 2024 Africa Eco Race for Stage Nine.
Racer | Team | Time |
Jacopo Cerutti | Aprilia Racing GCorse | 04:27:14 |
Pol Tarrés | Yamaha Tenere World Raid Team | 04:29:19 |
Alessandro Botturi | Yamaha Tenere World Raid Team | 04:31:15 |
Marco Aurelio Fontana | Honda Genuine Oil | 04:43:52 |
Marco Menichini | Solarys Racing | 04:47:28 |
Alexandre Vaudan | Casteu Trophy | 04:55:40 |
Attilio Fert | France Road Book | 04:56:17 |
Giovanni Gritti | RSMoto Racing Team Honda Oil | 04:58:41 |
Joan Pedrero Garcia | Harley-Davidson | 05:20:52 |
Kevin Durand | RS Moto | 05:25:08 |
2024 Africa Eco Race Overall Rider Standings After Stage Nine
The penalty assessed in opposition to Botturi for Stage Nine signifies that Cerutti and Aprilia are within the lead as soon as once more. It’s nonetheless not an enormous hole between him and Botturi, but it surely’s getting slightly bit greater at simply over seven minutes.
Here are the general rider standings after Stage Nine.
Racer | Team | Time |
Jacopo Cerutti | Aprilia Racing GCorse | 35:42:01 |
Alessandro Botturi | Yamaha Tenere World Raid Team | 35:49:05 |
Pol Tarrés | Yamaha Tenere World Raid Team | 36:06:28 |
Giovanni Gritti | RSMoto Racing Team Honda Oil | 39:27:45 |
Alexandre Vaudan | Casteu Trophy | 39:58:02 |
Marco Aurelio Fontana | Honda Genuine Oil | 41:07:32 |
Attilio Fert | France Road Book | 41:10:55 |
Marco Menichini | Solarys Racing | 41:20:42 |
Francesco Montanari | Aprilia Racing GCorse | 42:21:06 |
Nicolas Charlier | Yamaha Tenere World Raid Team | 43:15:11 |
With solely three levels remaining within the 12-stage route that’s the 2024 Africa Eco Race, there’s nonetheless loads that may occur.